Lessing's history

By 1893 the country had slipped into a severe four-year recession, and the self-service lunches available in saloons on the honor system began to suffer an enormous amount of theft.

Maxwell had incorporated Lessing’s Hospitality Group in 1917 and was joined in the business by his son, Lawrence, in the 20's.

The 1920's is an important decade in Lessing history as it marked the birth of the modern restaurant industry.

In 1928, American Cable and Wireless decided to include an employee cafeteria in their new office building.

By the 1930's, retail stores saw the wisdom in the conveniently located lunch counter and decided to get into the act.

With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, New York City was transformed into the metropolitan hub of America's massive war effort.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard quickly became the world's largest shipbuilding facility, employing more than 75,000 people by 1942.

The first book she created was The Grass Is Singing (1950) and as you would expect it is a masterpiece.

Lawrence's son John, known as Jack, joined the company in 1958 and John's brother Lawrence III, known as Larry, followed a year later.

The Golden Notebook (1962) is another creation that made Lessing an astonishing novelist.

Memoirs of a Survivor was released in 1975 and it was one of the rare and stunning creations of the decade.

But in 1977, a friend of Jack’s told him that the only bar in Breezy Point, (the now world famous New York Irish Police and Fireman’s community destroyed in Hurricane Sandy) was for sale.

In 1978, the Lessings opened their first Main Street restaurant in the historic post office building that had served the town of Babylon for many years.

In 1980, the Lessings opened their first Main Street restaurant in the historic post office building that had served the town of Babylon for many years.

Diary of a Good Neighbour was released in 1983 and it tells about Janna, a sad woman.

L. P. Wessell, Jr. (1987)

She won the Nobel Prize in 2007 so you can see how appreciated this writer was.

Sadly, Lessing’s life ended on 17 November 2013, aged 94.