It was August of 1944 when Doctor Howard Welcher bought the famed Log Cabin Inn on Ocean Boulevard. It was because of the prohibitive costs of food due to the ongoing World War that Mr. and Mrs. Harry Sculthorp put it on the market.
According to the Highlands Star, the weekly newspaper of the time, Doc Welcher had moved to Atlantic Highlands, living on Belvedere Road, two years previous. While he continued to maintain his medical practice in north Jersey, he purchased the Log Cain Inn when the Sculthorps decided to dispose of the property due to the headaches “associated with the restaurant business in this era of rationing and ceiling prices.”
The previous year the Sculthorps had completely renovated the interior of the restaurant, known throughout the state as a landmark for its exceptional marine view. They had added new and modern touches to the lounge areas.
Nor was this the only dining establishment in the area affected by the war and resulting in soaring prices of food purchases, primarily meat. A few days previous, Thomas Ross, who operated the Cedar Inn on Navesink Avenue, Highlands, next to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, and well known for the excellence of the menu, had decided to close the restaurant for the duration, “until conditions become more favorable.”
Both owners noted that the ceiling prices imposed by the state for operating their restaurants did not take into account the higher cost of foods to prepare.” I can’t feed my customers right only charging them the amount I am allowed to charge,” he said.
The men noted that at one time they had to pay 44 cents a pound for meat they had previously been able to purchase for 22 cents a pound but still had to offer it at the original price. The were not permitted to raise their price in spite of the additional costs, Ross said, adding, “so I’ll just wait until the clouds roll by.”
Even the seafood prices in these waterfront town restaurants had risen in cost above what restaurateurs could charge. For instance, clams for steaming routinely sold at $1.25 a bushel, during the war effort, they now cost $4.50 a bushel but still had to go out on the table at the same price.
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