Theme Restaurants

The Restaurant Menu collection at Queens College is a diverse collection spanning eighty plus years and several continents. What truly sets the Queens Libraries’ Special Collection apart from other collections is the large collection of present-day to-go or take-out menus spanning the United States but with its highest concentrations in the five boroughs of New York City. Arguably, more ephemeral in nature than larger bound dine-in menus, these culinary relics can aide in the telling stories of our communities. These menus speak to us about immigration, assimilation and gentrification. They underscore food habits and trends and give insight into the current economic and technological advances of a given community. The collection also houses more traditional bound menus, laminated objects and those in plastic enclosures. There is also a collection of photographs generously donated from the Gimbel Library, Parsons School of Design.