Lewis M. Bolton and Harry 0. Hay founded Bolton & Hay in 1920. The two were first associated with the restaurant business in Springfield, Illinois, but came to Des Moines on October 2, 1920 to establish a restaurant in Iowa. Their first location opened on Saturday, November 13, 1920, and defying any superstitions, the restaurant contained 13 bar stools. On this opening day they decided to serve free coffee and doughnuts from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., after which food was served. The free coffee and doughnuts on opening day became a custom for every Bolton & Hay restaurant, serving as an incentive for customers to stop by the restaurant with the hope that they would return and become regular customers. The restaurant business proved to be successful, so in 1921 Harry Hay’s brother-in-law, James Speicher Sr., came to Iowa from Pennsylvania to work for Bolton & Hay. Lewis, Harry, and James all grew and worked together to advance the company. There were eventually eight Bolton & Hay restaurants in the Des Moines area.
Because Bolton & Hay restaurants offered 24 hour service, there were never any locks on the doors. The only time they ever closed was to honor the national observance of respect during the burial of President Harding in 1923. At this time the doors were simply tied shut and the cashiers remained inside of the restaurants.
In addition to operating the restaurants, Bolton and Hay also started an equipment and supplies dealership with a showroom, cabinet shop, sheet metal shop, bakery, and butcher shop. This enabled them to supply their own equipment for their restaurants. They also purchased three farms and were able to produce all of their own milk needed for the restaurants from five herds of Holstein cows. Bolton & Hay restaurants were operated with the goal to always serve good food at moderate prices with quick,
courteous service. Slogans for the restaurants included “Hungry? Come In” and “They Have no Equal,” yet the one that stuck was “Tis the Taste that Tells the Tale.”
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