Tilt Tavern

Parker Alvis, a carpenter in Athens, built The Tilt about 1960. Grayson and Brenda Wiley ran it for him. The tavern went through a number of name changes. After the Tilt, Bob Garland from Chicago, ran it and called it the Bluejay Club for a while. James Neely owned it when Carmello Smiley ran it. Carmello changed the name to Smiley Boy’s. It was also known as the Hillside Tavern.

The Tilt Tavern was located just north of Athens on Route 20. Carmello Smiley (1921-1978) and his wife Betty Lee Cook (1932-2016) owned and operated the tavern as well as Smiley Boy’s Drive In on Oakvale Road close to the turnpike entrance in Princeton. More information about Smiley Boy’s is available in the Drive-In Restaurant section of this chapter.

The Tilt undoubtedly got its name because the modest building that housed the tavern literally extended over the mountainside, held up on the back with tall posts that had settled over the years. There wasn’t much flat land at that point along Route 20 and the gravel parking lot, a wide place in the road really, occupied most of it. The building itself was necessarily long and narrow, built parallel with the road. Inside there was a long bar, again running parallel with the length of the building, with round stools. To the right, behind the bar was an open grill, where Mr. Smiley prepared his famous Poor Boy hamburger while talking with his customers. Behind the cash register there was a handwritten sign that said, “If you want behind the counter, BUY this damned place.”

The Tilt was easily accessible from Concord College and often provided an interesting mix of townspeople and students. Everyone appreciated Mr. Smiley, his sense of humor and whimsical smile. He engaged with his customers in good conversation while they enjoyed the best burgers, great pizza and the most memorable poor boy sandwiches.” The Tilt was also known for its cheap beer.

The Tilt opened early on Saturdays. Henry Friedl remembers dropping in one morning as Mr. Smiley was preparing for the day. There was a mix of family and business activity. On the backburner of the range was a large pot of lentil soup simmering for the family, while Mr. Smiley cleaned and organized the place for customers who would soon arrive. It was the beginning of a long day. By late evening, 

Garland Elmore remembers having a discussion on another day with Mr. Smiley about his long career in the restaurant business. It was probably near closing time and there weren’t many people around. It was a good time for casual chit chat. Mr. Smiley opened up about the times he was awakened in the middle of the night by guys who wanted him to open the tavern to sell them beer—guys who had already had too much to drink and hadn’t planned ahead for the evening. He talked about how upsetting this was to Betty and him. He said we wanted to get out of the alcohol business altogether, and to convert Smiley Boy’s  in Princeton to a dairy bar. Surely, he was joking! Indeed Mr. Smiley wanted to protect Betty Lee from the rowdies and his advertisements, some of which are included in the gallery, soon reflected the new “Dairy Bar” focus.

After Carmello's death in 1978, Betty Lee continued to operate Smiley Boy's Drive-In until she retired about 5 years later. Grandma G’s Restaurant took over the Smiley Boy’s location.