I just received my copy of the book "Tray Chic: Celebrating Indiana's Cafeteria Culture" (cited in one of my posts, above) and it's highly recommendable reading. The book covers all the stalwart: VI's lamented favorite Laughner's (R.I.P 1888-2000); MCL, still going strong and actually adding stores; some of the "mega cafeterias" like Poe's, Byrd's and Gray Brothers; and even Shapiro's, the best deli/cafeteria in Indiana and much praised by myself and others here, gets a nice long chapter, too (fitting its lengthy lifetime of 1905 to the present). Certainly there's a nostalgia factor for me (I'd give anything to have one of the "This Way to Good Eating!" signs salvaged from a Laughner's, for example), but it's also a good resource for those who may find themselves travelling through Indiana and wondering what -- and where -- to eat. And there are a number of recipes, too (none for Shapiro's, unfortunately).
"Tray Chic"
by Sam Stall
Published by Emmis Books