Howard's Luncheonette

948 Alexander Road, September 2022. From Paul Ligeti.

Historical Overview

Standing at 948 Alexander Road in the historic community of Berrien City is a 2-story building with restaurant below and living quarters above. This structure, housing "Brother's Pizza" in 2023, is a longtime staple of the neighborhood and has undergone significant transformations since its origins.

Its exact date of construction is unknown, but it's said to have originally been a general store of sorts.[1] In the mid-late 1940s, the Princeton Junction post office moved here from the firehouse next door (and before that, the original Princeton Junction post office at 31 Station Drive).[2] Longtime residents remember mail carrier Ronnie Gossett in the mid-20th century.[3] The post office moved out of this building and into a strip mall on Princeton-Hightstown Road in 1970.[4]

In the 1950s or 1960s, a hole-in-the-wall called "Howard's Luncheonette" opened here in the one-story addition (see adjacent photo).[5],[6] Residents could grab a meal and buy a "little bit of everything," including penny candy for children.[7], This enterprise lasted until about 1975,[9] and the next year the building was purchased by Anthony and Adrianne Galletta, who, along with much of their family (and much of the former Howard's Luncheonette staff), turned it into an Italian restaurant called "Galletta's Galley."[9]

948 Alexander Road, 1975 and 2019.

By 1979, the building had been expanded into the structure it is today, with a full second floor spanning the entire front block of the building. It was after this point that Galletta's began serving dinner as well as its previously-offered breakfast and lunch meals. After an unsuccessful try at getting a liquor license, Anthony resumed working at RCA in nearby Penns Neck and Adrianne took over the day time running of the business while Anthony picked up the night shifts and weekend shifts.[10]

Galletta's Galley shut down in the late 1980s and was replaced with "Brothers Pizza,"[11] which, despite several changes in ownership, still operates in 2023. The Gallettas still own the building, however, and maintain it as a longtime West Windsor, Princeton Junction, and Berrien City landmark.

Galletta's Galley, mid-1980s.

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Bibliography

1. Castaldo, P. (2018, June 3). So Why Galletta’s Galley? Galletta’s Galley. https://gallettasgalley.com/2018/04/so-why-gallettas-galley/ 
2. “Broadside,” 1998. Newsletter about the history of Princeton Junction (Part 1 of a 2-part series) produced by the Historical Society of West Windsor. Spring 1998.
3. Zinetti, B. E. (2023, July 7). Facebook comment by Bruce E. Zinetti. Comment made on Facebook in response to photo of Howard's Luncheonette. Made within the private "West Windsor & Plainsboro - The Glory Days" Facebook group. URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2425866877514164/?multi_permalinks=5824532640980887¬if_id=1688696606572117¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
4. "Weekend Move by Post Office a Surprise." July 29, 1970. Trenton Evening Times. 
5. "Howard L. Watlington." Town Topics. January 9, 2002. July 29, 1970.
6. Castaldo, P. (2018, June 3). So Why Galletta’s Galley? Galletta’s Galley. https://gallettasgalley.com/2018/04/so-why-gallettas-galley/ 
7. Zinsmeisted, D. (2023, July 7). Facebook comment by David Zinsmeister. Comment made on Facebook in response to photo of Howard's Luncheonette. Made within the private "West Windsor & Plainsboro - The Glory Days" Facebook group. URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2425866877514164/?multi_permalinks=5824532640980887¬if_id=1688696606572117¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
8. Anable-Everett Realty. (1975, November 27). Princeton Junction - Howard's Luncheonette. Town Topics. Princeton.
9. ​Castaldo, P. (2018, June 3). So Why Galletta’s Galley? Galletta’s Galley. https://gallettasgalley.com/2018/04/so-why-gallettas-galley/ 
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.