Hilltop Steak House - Classic Americana Painting - New England - Digital Wall Art

If you've been around my shop at all you know by now that I am a proud lifelong New Englander and I love to feature iconic and historic landmarks New England landmarks.

The Hilltop Steak House in Saugus Mass is not only one of the most iconic restaurants in New England, but in the entire country. Hilltop was founded in 1961 and was one of the largest and busiest restaurants in the country, it featured a wild west theme which included buffalo heads, wooden Indians, and stone fireplaces, and was also well known for their collection of signature fiberglass cow statues, not to mention the 70 foot neon cactus sign out front.

The restaurant could seat 1500 people and had enough parking for 1000 cars. In spite of the massive capacity, guests would wait hours in line to get a table. In 1977, the Hilltop grossed $11 million in sales, and by 1985, $24.2 million dollars and hosted 2.35 million diners which placed the restaurant at the top of Restaurants & Institutions' list of highest-volume restaurants in the United States. This trend continued and by 1988 Hilltop did nearly $32 million dollars in sales.

By 1994 the original owner had sold the restaurant and in the coming years Hilltop faced lawsuits from staff regarding unfair labor practices and the restaurant, also facing new competition and rising overhead costs, started to decline. The restaurant was closed for good in 2011. In 2018 the Hilltop property was sold and turned into a residential and commercial development.

The new owners kept the giant neon cactus sign and repurposed it for their complex so it still stands to this day. I remember going to Hilltop with my parents as a kid and it truly was a memorable place that lives on in the hearts of many New Englanders.

• Digitally Printed. • Printed with a Matte Finish on Heavy Duty Archival Paper • 200 GSM Heavy Weight Paper • Frame is not included.

A NOTE ABOUT DIGITAL ART: Art Prints are created using a combination of AI technology, Procreate (with custom Impasto effect brushes) and Photoshop. Some visual elements in this artwork may have been created using AI technology, and then refined through manual editing in Procreate and/or Photoshop (lettering/signs/logos) to enhance and create the final design.