Drive in restaraunts and old cars

[Ghoste]

They are erecting a new A&W in my hometown and it's going to be one of those retro themed ones.  Now I know for all of you who live in large urban areas or civilization in general that this seems very ho-hum but for those of us who live in Mayberry this is a big deal.  Yes we have the McDonalds and Wendys and all of the other fast food places but it's a long time since there has been any kind of a drive in around these parts.  If they just still offered curb service then I would know all is right in my world.  
What's left that does offer curb service, Sonic Burger and what else?  You folks that have car hop drive ins, is it a place you visit much?  If you do go, do you tend to take your old car?

[Charger440RDN]

Here in Illinois we have a lot of Sonic drive in places, but the girls don't come out on roller skates and mini skirts when they bring your food (unfortunately)   Sonic is the only one I have seen here.

[ChgrSteve67]

In the Sacramento CA area there are no curb side service resturants. The origional A&Ws are all gone, the ones that are left are part of KFC, like two fast food joints in one.  Some citys an hour or so away have sonic burgers with CSS but that its.

We have one drive in movie theater left and it was supose to be demolished and replaced with a strip mall. The resession killed the mall and saved the drive-in. A couple of times a year they have a car show and double feature. people bring chairs and blaster radios and sit under the stars to watch the movies. lots of fun durring the summer.

The hangouts now are the Mel's Diners or Red Robin parking lots for classic car get togethers.

[Charger440RDN]

In the Sacramento CA area there are no curb side service resturants. The origional A&Ws are all gone, the ones that are left are part of KFC, like two fast food joints in one.  Some citys an hour or so away have sonic burgers with CSS but that its.

We have one drive in movie theater left and it was supose to be demolished and replaced with a strip mall. The resession killed the mall and saved the drive-in. A couple of times a year they have a car show and double feature. people bring chairs and blaster radios and sit under the stars to watch the movies. lots of fun durring the summer.

The hangouts now are the Mel's Diners or Red Robin parking lots for classic car get togethers.

The only drive-in theater I know of here is in Springfield, IL and it has two giant screens showing different movies $5 to get in.

[Landonsrt]

We have a ton of Sonics around here. And the occasional local Drive in restaurant. We still have a drive in movie theater near downtown Atlanta.

[BrianShaughnessy]

Got the 1st Sonic in NYS earlier this year.   That's the only thing like it around here.   I remember A&W's but they all closed down.

So the first Friday I take the Charger up and figure Sonic will cater to the muscle car crowd and go right to the front of the lines that are wrapped around the parking lot right?...   wrong.   " Wow ... nice car...  OK... it's about a 40 minute wait!!! "   WRONG!   Homie don't wait 40 minutes for nothing.

A few weeks later after it all blew over I went and just parked the Charger away from the rest of the herd and ordered and ate at the picnic tables.   The food is definitely mediocre at best.   When it opened there were some cute girls on skates...  they seem to have been replaced fairly quickly by dudes   

Friday night about 9 or so the tuner crowd comes buzzing in as a pack and all park in a row ... kinda funny to see.   Some old fart wanted to start a Saturday night cruise there... it never really took off.   Maybe 10 / 12 cars at most.

[73chgrSE]

the sonic near me is the ricer hang out from hell every thursday nite.   


i prefer not to eat in my car.

[dodgecharger-fan]

They are erecting a new A&W in my hometown and it's going to be one of those retro themed ones.

Really? That's cool. Where is this happening? PM me if you'd rather not say out in the open..

I'd drive to one just for the novelty of it all. Show the kids what it was like.

I remember the old A&Ws around here. 2 here in my city and one over in Niagara Falls. All were drive ins and I remember - vaguely - having the tray hanging on the window of my 73 Charger. They're all gone now - one of the buildings is still there but the parking spots are gone.

[Ghoste]

I think there would have to be some a lot closer to you than driving here for that?  Remember, I said retro themed not a curb service one.  I'm pretty sure that means they don't have the menu boards in the parking lot and the window trays?  It would be nice if they did though.  I know the family who are putting it up, maybe I should inquire a bit as to that part of it because if they are going all the way with it (and not just a lot of neon and vintage appearing styling) we should arrange some kind of southwestern Ontario Charger cruise. 

[greenpigs]

We got an A W that has been around at least 25 years. They close in the winter and when open fri and sat has older cars.

[Troy]

We have 2 different "root beer stand" type restaurants (well, three but two are the same brand and one is independent) and Sonics all over the place. I haven't seen anyone on roller skates yet.

Troy

[71ChallengeHer]

We have a Sonic about 20 minutes from here. They have a Mopar Cruise every Weds nite. Also Tropical Treat ( it's been around for decades )  And a movie Drive In about 45 miutes away. And they all have car shows and cruise ins.

[41husk]

THe Skyview in Belleville IL is a double screen drive inn and they have an anual classic car cruize.  Every driver of a classic car gets in free.  I have had a lot of fun at this.

[Ghoste]

Even back in the day, were there really that many of the places that had the car hops use roller skates?  I know there were a couple but how many folks that ever went to a restarant with car hops actually saw them on skates?

[Brock Samson]

 
When I was a kid we used to go to the original A&Ws and Mels' (American Graffitti) here in S.F. there were two and the one in Medesto Ca. and once. my uncle took me to the first Mc Donalds' but the rollerskates and hanging the trays off the drivers window went away about 30 years ago... around the time of the "Oil Crisis".
I won't forget the last time we did that though, in my best friends' dads' brand new BRG '68 L-88 Corvette the day he drove it home. pretty warm and cramped the three of us in there...   It was fun though, the girls were all tall busty and pretty like the Hooters girls of today and the Rock and Roll was cranked up pretty loud.
I think it was mostly a late 50s and '60s California thing,..
Have fun with that.. maybe some pictures?..

http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-

[73chgrSE]

I've only eaten at sonic once but the girl did have roller skates, a skirt and, pony tail!

[dodgecharger-fan]

I think there would have to be some a lot closer to you than driving here for that?  Remember, I said retro themed not a curb service one.  I'm pretty sure that means they don't have the menu boards in the parking lot and the window trays?  It would be nice if they did though.  I know the family who are putting it up, maybe I should inquire a bit as to that part of it because if they are going all the way with it (and not just a lot of neon and vintage appearing styling) we should arrange some kind of southwestern Ontario Charger cruise. 

Ah! I took the "retro" to mean drive in.
I'll have to see if our is going to go through any kind of a remodel - they are long past due...

[Ghoste]

From what i understand, it is to be a drive in but you have to park and then go to the service counter yourself.  If it turns out that it's just a drive thru with neon I'm going to be disappointed.

[baullz]

We have a drive in thats open in the summer time, just closed this last weekend actually.  It has a car hop over lunch and supper time so its kinda neat.  My ex's sister and best friend car hop there and I always give them sh*t about not wearing roller skates, someday one of them will do it I hope, but it could get dangerous.

Have never taken they Charger there but have always thought about suggesting they do a classic car night or something and give a little discount if your in a classic.

[Ponch ®]

Here in L.A. there are still quite a few Drive-In type places. The better known ones are Bob's Big Boy in Burbank (which is where most the car guys go on Friday nights) and a new one they just opened in Northridge. It's not as charming because it's in a shopping center, but a cruise night is starting to build up. There used to be a totally retro place called Ricky and Ronnies that pretty much catered to the car scene, but unfortunately it closed last year.

Almost forgot about Angelo's Burgers in Anaheim. Haven't been there in a while because its kinda far. The place itself wasn't much, but the food and the staff sure were nice:

[LoneStar Mopar]

We have a million sonics down here in Texas. My town alone has 4. Sometimes the girls are wearing rollerskates and sometimes not. It is up to the carhop and not something determined by the restaurant. We also have A&W's down here but they are not drive inn's like the sonics. As mentioned before they are usually linked together with a KFC or sometimes a Pizza Hut.

[Brock Samson]

     i like the black/white white/black thing goin on there,.. you just now getting around to posting these up?!   

[Ponch ®]

    i like the black/white white/black thing goin on there,.. you just now getting around to posting these up?!   

lol...that pic is over 2 years old. I'm pretty sure I've posted it before. It is nice though, aint it?

[MichaelRW]

We have 2 A&W's in town. One has curb service and they are owned by the same couple. The one that has the curb service is on it's own lot but the other one is on a shared parking lot and the owners of the shopping center complained about all the old cars there on Friday nights. (insane) So the previously formal Friday night cruise gathering is now an informal one. End of problem. They are both open year round but Friday night cruise is approximately April to October. There is not actually any cruising other than to get to the place because cruising on this main street was banned several years ago. That was the fault of ricers and the trouble makers driving them. So now we just meet and shoot the shit in the parking lot.

[b5blue]

Nothing like a slug from a big frosty mug! 

[MichaelRW]

Nothing like a slug from a big frosty mug! 

Yeah, while it's washing down a Papa Burger or a chili cheese dog with onions.

[ACUDANUT]

 I can't get excited about Sonic. Just PLAIN BLAND food.  I wish Stake and Shake would go more to the Sonic type of service. A&W IMO is a step better in food, than Sonic. 

[Ghoste]

I find that with pretty much all franchised food places.  They spend so much time carefully packaging and marketing the "experience" of their establishment that the food becomes just another carefully engineered part of that "experience".  Don't risk offending anybody, just go for generic.

[elacruze]

I grew up in Michigan with A&W and Daly's. Neither where I was had skates, nor were cruisable due to no circle drive but everybody came through at dusk... We just got a Sonic in Jensen Beach, which looks promising. It's on the street in a mall parking lot, it's cruisable and has plenty of parking behind it for the 'see-what's-up-then-park' crowd. The carhops are on skates, and no shortage of nice young ladies. When I get back we're going to discuss some 'advertising opportunities' with them, maybe have something like 'retro night' where the carhops wear skirts / tee shirts.