Current photos of old drive ins ( restaurants that is).

Grit's and Groceries, off the beaten path but worth the trip. HRP

 

Daly's drive in was the cruise spot in Michigan back in the day. Still one open in Livonia Mi.

 

Bethel CT
KK

 

Top four hottest spots in Miami Florida in the early 1960s that had car hopps an lots of hot rods n customs with window trays;;
;
Yes there were many others,but all are gone now, The Big Wheel=now a mall,Jimmy's=now a gas station,Pizza Palace=now a used car lot,Hot Shoppes now a USPS.
I did post early'er in this thread post # 16,of great places that are still making same good food,but they never had car hops to bring food to your car.

 

Gotta love the great signage and neon also in these photos.

 

Waiting to see if anyone from So Cal chines in with one that's still around (and not a drive thru). Sadly once an area know for car culture has lost most of it.....I know someone is going to post about Bob's in Burbank and I hear Bob's in Downey started the car hop again during this Covid time. I guess there's always Sonic.

At least a bright side to Covid is that it's brought back the Drive in and Car hops (a little bit anyways).

 

Miners in Union Gap (Yakima) Wa has been a go to burger place for hot rod folks since the 40's. In the 60's we would wheel by there and get burgers, fries and drinks and then go around the corner and out behind the place to the drive in theater. Most out of town folks who have been to the Vintiques NW nationals over the years have made it to Miners.
It's still owned and operated by the same family.



Rare shot without any cars at the drive up window or parked outside.

 

Smitty's Better Burger in my hometown, serving great food since 1956.

 

Chuck Wagon MT. Vernon Washington. Model railroad chugs overhead while you eat!

 

Olive Way Triple XXX, Seattle,Wa.

 

Paul's Famous Hamburgers Milford CT
Awesome burgers and Shakes! Had great cruise nights in the 80's and 90's!
KK

 

I have some great friends in Minot nd, and l have sure missed going there and meet them at the sonic (yeah lame I know) due to border restrictions. There sure are some beautiful drive in places still open in the pictures of this thread.

 

Evidently, nothing ( in the city of Seattle) is sacred.


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no cruise ins or much going on old drive ins & burger joints have been my destination for the summer. Austin IN DQ

 

Owensboro KY

 

C Canalton IN

 

New Salisbury IN

 

Pollys freeze Maplewood IN

 

I've thought of opening up a 50's style diner on a property that's for sale on Ford Rd. here in Dearborn..... But that would cost me some BIG deneros (sp) ($$$) that I don't have.....
Just dreaming I guess...

 

Harrisonburg Virginia

 

Grisinger’s Drive In Coffee Shop, a classic of the "Googie Style" designed circa 1952 by the architect, Wayne McAllister, and a popular stop on the teenage automotive cruising circuit of its day.

Hello,

Hearing stories about Grissinger’s Drive-In Restaurant just wanted me to tell my dad to take the family there for a great meal. In reality, I wanted to see the place where the older teenagers hang out. But, it would have been an intrusion into my brother’s teenage hang out with his friends in Bixby Knolls. So, my dad took the family to the nearby drive-in restaurant with the girls in shorts and roller skates.

It was a few blocks away in the Westside of Long Beach, from our house. (1949-???) The Westside drive-in restaurant was/is a mystery as far as historical search is concerned. It was located on the corner of the busiest street of the times. (PCH & Santa Fe Avenue, a few blocks away from the famed, Mickey Thompson Enterprises, and Joe Malliard’s Engineering/Speed Shop)

But from the early days in 1953, the Bixby Knolls Grissinger’s drive-in has served as a central meeting place for all local families. Especially, as the “3 year hangout” for the current teenagers going to the local high school, Long Beach Poly HS. There were other teenagers from other high schools at times, but each Long Beach high school (5) had their own drive-in hangout for exclusivity. (High school rivalry was big time back then.)

After the requisite three year span, it was time to move on to the next level and the new crop of teenagers took over as the “big guns” in the drive-in parking lot. It wasn’t the same after 1963, as it changed hands.

“In 1963, the Grissinger’s sold the drive-in to new owners who expanded and remodeled the place and dubbed it Lyman’s Coffee Shop. Shortly thereafter it was purchased by a woman named Terry, who re-named it Terry’s Coffee Shop and in 1974 made the fortuitous decision to hire as a chef a young man named George Alvarez.”

Our group of teenagers was on its way out to further 20 something adventures and we noticed the change over, but was not part of that new scene. Although, the black 1958 Impala had another 3 year span of cruising and racing at the newly named venue. I sold the Impala to a younger friend to finance my college future.

“George Alvarez worked at the restaurant for over two decades and then in 1996, decided to buy the place for himself, upon which he restored it back to its original 1952 design. He named the place George’s 50’s Diner, in honor of both himself and the restaurant’s original opening date.”

Jnaki

It is a fun experience to drive by the current 2020 location, although for most of us old guys, the whole area has changed and the landmarks are missing, with the exception of George’s Diner. So, for the thousands of teenagers that frequented the place during high school, this memory lane is still alive. The Long Beach Historic Society’s storefront, down the block, has some displays left from their “CHROME” event several years ago.

George’s 50’s Diner is located at 4390 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach. The restaurant is one of the last remaining diners of its kind in all of California.

The building became a Long Beach Historic Landmark in 2004. Name change and all...

LB HISTORIC SOCIETY “CHROME” CAR SHOW AT GEORGE’S 2018

Stout photos

Coveted front row next to the building, usually by families and carloads of teenage girls...

Back row parking with the famous, “SOUNDS” ALLEY

As in the past, it was cruise into the entrance, go through the parking lot, with the teenage banter on both sides towards the parking rows. Then, exit toward the famed Cherry Avenue Drags location and then come back through the back alley, behind the back row teenage hot rods. If a space was open in the back row, that was THE place to be for the evening.

This was the normal scene every Friday and Saturday night since 1952. YES, you can still get the famous, "gravy and french fries with a Cherry Coke," just ask for it.

A song from 1971 describes the feeling from the beginning…

Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Don't cry
Don't raise your eye


It's only, teenage wasteland...

The Who

 

Milwaukee Wi. Marc's Big Boy on 7300 west Capital drive was a huge cruise night event. They put timers on how long you could sit in your spot and a $ minimum order to keep it turning over, A very big deal, lots of big buck street races were set up there and then we would go out somewhere to race, for a while where the new highway 41 going out of town northwest under construction, then by Timmerman field airport, police scanners involved, very organized. I Saw the coolest street race ever there right on Capitol drive in front of Big Boys around 66/67. Two hemi Mopar drag cars brought on trailers warmed up as all of blocked the side streets and on each end of Capitol for about 8 blocks for racing room and shut down. They raced, we dispersed, $500 changed hands and then the police showed up, I sometimes think in the beginning the police overlooked street racing, But it grew so big and several fatalities got involved ( lost a friend when his car got loose and hit a power pole, drivers door, end of Roger E) and by 70 it was cut way back due to police/ sheriffs making big efforts to stop/control as it was wild/crazy, out of control. I've lived in the best of times, so fortunate/lucky, all the fun stuff I've done in my life. I've worked my Gaurdian Angel pretty hard and so Thankful to be here to share these memories. What Fun it was, my life is still fun, just very calm as I've gotten old now, enjoying life, and as my kids say, "Still playing with cars". Everyone have a great day and be safe out there.

 

The legendary Shuffletown Grille. Just up the road from the old Shuffletown Drag strip.

 

So many cool spots.

 

One of my favorites on the East Coast. Doumars in Norfolk, VA. Known for making the first Waffle cone. Was a curb service place since the 50's. Still open and still owned by original family.

 

They were on DDD. Or one of the cooking tv shows

 

[QUOTE="6sally6, post: 13817804, member: 243551"
HEY!!!..........that poor woman only has one leg!! I bet she could still.....'kick-some-ass'...well sorta!
6sally6]. [/QUOTE]


She could always work at I-Hop

 

Great start fellas. Keep the responses coming. I’m hoping that some of our esteemed moderators might chime in as well.


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