Clifford E. Clinton was a California restaurateur who founded Meals for Millions, one of two parent organizations of Freedom from Hunger, in 1946. Clifford E. Clinton was also owner of a cafeteria-style restaurant chain named Clifton's.
Clinton in 1937.
Clifton's Cafeteria, once part of a chain of eight Clifton's restaurants, was the oldest surviving cafeteria-style eatery in Los Angeles and the largest public cafeteria in the world when it closed in 2018. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton, the design of the restaurants included exotic decor and facades that were "kitschy and theatrical", and would eventually include multi-story fake redwood trees, stuffed lions, neon plants, and a petrified wood bar. Some considered Clifton's as a precursor to the first tiki bars. The name was created by combining "Clifford" and "Clinton" to produce "Clifton's".
Clifton's Cafeteria in 2017
Clifton's Pacific Seas postcard circa 1940s
Inside Clifton's Brookdale in 2008.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilman Jose Huizar, June Lockhart, and new owner Andrew Meieran at the re-opening of Clifton's Cafetaria in 2015. It was replaced by a Clifton's-themed bar in 2018.