Drive-In/ Curb Service Eating

snes_collector

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Drive-In restaurants are big business in my area, there are a bunch of different ones and they are all pretty popular. I never hear anyone from other areas talk about these, it certainly is more of an old school thing- but they are going strong here. Food is usually really good and really cheap. Any one here into these, have many around? I know Sonic's are everywhere- but there isn't even one of those here, everything is pretty much mom and pop.
 

egg_sanwich

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White Spot (a West coast Canadian chain) still does drive in dining at most of it's locations, but I honestly haven't been since I was a kid. Other than that, I can't think of another restaurant that offers it. Too bad though, I love the concept.
 

NeuroticMoose

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Apart from Sonic we have an A&W that's been in the same spot since the 60's. I'm actually kind of shocked its still there.
 

snes_collector

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White Spot (a West coast Canadian chain) still does drive in dining at most of it's locations, but I honestly haven't been since I was a kid. Other than that, I can't think of another restaurant that offers it. Too bad though, I love the concept.

Yeah, there is something nostalgic about eating at these places, even if their main popularity was before I was living. Nothing fancy, just good food. I like Sonic (it is tough to beat those slushies) but it doesn't evoke the same feeling to me. Here's some pics I stole from Google of a place about 30 mins from my house, they still have the speakers and everything.

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Jibbajaba

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The only thing like that in my town is Sonic, and that shit sucks. There's probably something in the major metropolitan area that I just don't know about. Sacramento is pretty hipster, so I'd be surprised if we didn't.
 

Ralfakick

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Around the Philly area I know of a few Sonics, of which I'm not too much a fan (there is an open space near me that I always say is perfect for one though), there are some Checkers around as well. In NJ over the bridge there are some Stewart's Drive Ins http://www.stewartsallamerican.com/, can't say I've been to one, but I've been by them a bunch of times and they look cool.
 
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herb

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Around the Philly area I know of a few Sonics, of which I'm not too much a fan (there is an open space near me that I always say is perfect for one though), there are some Checkers around as well. In NJ over the bridge there are some Stewart's Drive Ins http://www.stewartsallamerican.com/, can't say I've been to one, but I've been by them a bunch of times and they look cool.

Stewart's is way too pricey for what it is IMO. It was decent when I was a kid but nowadays it's meh.
 

HDRchampion

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Sonic just open near my area 2 months ago...Milkshake is pretty good the rest of the food is pretty bad.
 

terry.330

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We got Sonic and an A&W in central OH, but yeah Sonic is shit aside from their drinks. Even the tater-tots are garbage, how do you fuck those up?
 

K_K

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We don't have that here. There's a drive in movies that opens around December that shows Christmas films and does car service with burgers and fries and stuff from a place here called Eddie rockets. But that's the closest you get to it.

Back home in Austin we had sonic of course. But for anyone who has seen the film Dazed and Confused we had this place called Top Notch. They do burgers, fries, fried chicken, catfish, all sorts. Loved going there as a kid. Hill-Berts hamburgers, 2Js, and Dirty Martins burgers I believe used to all be drive in joints as well. 2J went out of business in the 90s. I remember going as a kid.

Dirty Martins is a local institution near UT campus. Greasy burgers, delicious food, and I'm pretty sure it was a drive in. I think my mom and aunt both agree on that. When they went to UT back in the late 70s it was the place to go for a burger.

And Hill-Berts was a place that advertised real butter fat in their ice cream. A big greasy burger. Full of cheese, delicious. It'd kill you, but they were good. Some of their locations still have the scaffolding outside where the little menus would sit and you would park.
 

BenG76

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Yeah, there is something nostalgic about eating at these places, even if their main popularity was before I was living. Nothing fancy, just good food. I like Sonic (it is tough to beat those slushies) but it doesn't evoke the same feeling to me. Here's some pics I stole from Google of a place about 30 mins from my house, they still have the speakers and everything.

View attachment 37953
View attachment 37954
View attachment 37955

The Big Moe is the bomb. I have not had one of those in quite a while.
 

ki_atsushi

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Odell's looks fucking amazing. I can't believe the prices either.
 

andsuchisdeath

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Look at the soda logos on the sign.

These prices are from at least ten years ago!
 

Fritz

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You folks got a Burgermaster down in Lacey?

Burgermaster is solid, that's the only one I go to that is an old style drive-in and order.

Dick's Restaurant is also kind of similar in that you order your food and in many cases just eat it in your vehicle in the parking lot as none of the locations have seating.
 

Kid Panda

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We have one in Charlotte called 21 South drive in I believe. I'm not sure if it's still open though. Was good the 15 years ago when I tried it.
 

cdamm

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superdawg is incredible, if a bit pricey for this kind of faire.

Superdawg-760x410.jpg
 

munchiaz

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i cant think of anything like this in AZ besides sonic. When i first moved to AZ 10 years ago i loved sonic (college kid with little income) now i haven't eaten there in a few years
 

Mr Bakaboy

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I really don't know the St. Louis scene well, but there used to be a couple in NW Indiana area. One that comes to mind is Blue Top in Highland, IN. People used to bring their classic cars on the weekends and it looked like a blast from the past. Although it's been many years since I went.
 

DragonmasterDan

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I really don't know the St. Louis scene well, but there used to be a couple in NW Indiana area. One that comes to mind is Blue Top in Highland, IN. People used to bring their classic cars on the weekends and it looked like a blast from the past. Although it's been many years since I went.

There's a place called Chuck A Burger in the Saint Louis area beyond a Sonic.
 

bubba966

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Burgermaster is solid, that's the only one I go to that is an old style drive-in and order.

Dick's Restaurant is also kind of similar in that you order your food and in many cases just eat it in your vehicle in the parking lot as none of the locations have seating.

You should know better than that gumz. The Queen Anne Dick's has indoor seating. Though it is the only one.

I haven't been to one of the drive-in Burgermaster's in a long time. I don't drive by the one on Aurora anymore. Nor have I been out to the Bellevue one in a while. Not sure if either of those locations is still open. Though I guess the only location I can recall closing was the Holman road one.

Someday I'd try a Sonic, but I'm not driving the 75+ minutes out of my way to try one.
 

LoneSage

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i was in Qatar for an overnight layover. walked around a bit. lots of restaurants with no sitting rooms inside. mind you it's like 8PM and dark out but still like 100 degrees and humid. anyways i was just people watching and then figured out the arabs got the food and went back to their Escalades and ate inside their cars with the AC.

so theres a lonesage story for you. unbelievably i ate at a Hardees.
 
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