Underground Lunchroom

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to visit the dining area from one of Fallout's famous vaults, this retro-futuristic cafeteria sitting deep beneath New Mexico provides a pretty good idea of where we'd all be eating after a nuclear apocalypse. Built in the late 20's, Carlsbad Caverns' Underground Lunchroom was intended to put a new spin on the timeless tradition of overpriced theme park food, but with its stainless steel accents and booths inspired by super-villain lairs, it ended up being almost as popular an attraction as the caverns themselves. It's not a leap to think that visitors in the 50's imagined that their future dining might look quite a bit the same in a few decades. Historians believe that the Underground Lunchroom once served over a million lunches a year during its heyday, and vintage postcards show long lines of hungry patrons snaking through the caverns, eager to purchase boxed meals and cigars. In 1994, the lunchroom came under fire for altering the delicate geology of the underground caverns. By this point the ovens and the cigars were long gone, but it was argued that the food particles had been attracting exotic organisms that were displacing the original creatures that dwelled in the caves for millions of years. Despite the negative attention, the 700 seat cafeteria still remains in Carlsbad Caverns to this day, albeit in a more stripped down fashion. Visitors can still settle into a cold sandwich (sans Nuka Cola) at a lantern-lit table and imagine what life would be like underground. Hint: lots of canned meats.  -Roadtrippers Eat 750 feet below the ground. Carlsbad Caverns "Underground Lunchroom" is a controversial national treasure that has been shared by generations of visitors. If you’re like many of us, your parents bought you a box lunch here when you were 9 years old, and THEIR parents did the same for them. Jim White, the discoverer of Carlsbad Caverns, originally sold his self-published Jim White’s Own Story, in the Underground Lunchroom. He used his original guano bucket, the one in which he descended into the caverns, as a stand to hold his books.  Later, the Underground Lunchroom began selling meals and other souvenirs. In the 1950’s lunch counters were installed, and these historic counters are still preserved on one wall of the lunchroom, but they are rarely used. It is likely that the Underground Lunchroom has been used by at least 50 million people over several decades, though the exact number is impossible to know. In its hey-day it would serve over one million visitors a year. Historic photos show visitors lined up to buy box lunches, drinks, and even cigars. The problem, however, is that so many visitors (even those who don’t smoke cigars) and so many meals are drastically changing the cave eco-system.  It is still possible to eat in the Caverns to this day. Visitors can purchase a meal and eat at a personal lantern lit table. To protect the cave, food service is limited to sandwiches, salads, yogurt, parfaits, and other food that does not involve cooking in the caverns. The days of cooking in the caverns have given way to a greater sense of protecting the cave eco-system with less impactful foods. However, visitors can still also enjoy much needed warm drinks such as coffee or hot chocolate. Sweatshirts, t-shirts, and a small selection of other items are for sale, though underground selections are somewhat limited to protect the cave.  One of the most popular activities for visitors is to write and send postcards from underground. Yes, there is a mailbox in the caverns, and you can stamp your postcard "Mailed from 750 feet below ground."  Visitors may also have their photo taken in a photo booth that provides souvenir pictures and also allows guests to send "video emails" of themselves in the caverns to friends and family on the surface. The current Concessioner, Carlsbad Caverns Trading Company, is working with the National Park Service on a long-term plan to reduce its footprint and to remodel the facilities in a way that will further protect the Caverns. These new facilities will be designed to allow for food and gift sales while protecting the Caverns from additional damage.