Harrison, left, and Stewart Schroer, shown in 2011, are owners of the Boulevard Cafeteria in Oklahoma City. The eatery closed Friday. [By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman archives]

When the xylophone at the end of the chow line at Boulevard Cafeteria sounded for the last time Friday, Oklahoma City's 96-year cafeteria craze officially ended.

Oklahoma City once had more cafeterias per capita than any city in America, making it the national standard-bearer for cafeteria operation, earning the title: Cafeteria Capital of the World.

“The food was so good in cafeterias in those days,” said Charlotte Dodson, former co-owner of Dodson's Cafeterias, in a 2011 interview. “We all were close-knit families. It was a glorious time. We all had such loyal customers.”

The Oklahoma History Center estimates the city supported 37 independently owned cafeterias at the height of their popularity in the 1950s and 60s.