Oral history interview with Sherman G. Marriott

Collection

Identifier: SR9248

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Sherman G. Marriott was conducted by Curtis Johnson on November 17, 1980, in Portland, Oregon. The interview was conducted as part of the Drive-in Restaurants of Portland Oral History Project, a series of interviews that Johnson conducted about the history of Portland drive-ins, with a particular emphasis on Tik Tok and Yaw's Top Notch.

In this interview, Marriott discusses how he got into the root-beer stand business in California in the 1920s, and his decision to open the Tik Tok Drive In restaurant in Portland, Oregon. He talks about operating the Tik Tok, the effect World War II had on the business, and the restaurant’s operating costs. He discusses the Tik Tok menu, the design of the building, and the popularity of the restaurant. He talks about the restaurant employees, including their uniforms and compensation. He closes the interview by discussing the difficulties inherent in running a restaurant, and by talking about the kitchen equipment and about his business partner, Horace Williams.

Dates

Creation: 1980 November 17

Creator

Marriott, Sherman G. (Sherman Geertson), 1899-1996 (Interviewee, Person)
Johnson, Curtis (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Sherman Geertson Marriott was born in Logan, Utah, in 1899. In 1925, he and Afton Romney were married; they later had one child. He ran drive-in restaurants in several states, and came to Oregon in 1936. In 1938, he and Horace Williams opened Tik Tok Drive In in Portland. They sold the restaurant in 1957. He died in 1996.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (54 min., 43 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Sherman G. Marriott conducted by Curtis Johnson on November 17, 1980, as part of the Drive-in Restaurants of Portland Oral History Project. Marriott opened the Tik Tok Drive In in Portland, Oregon, in 1936.