Vintage Roadside Recommends: The Eastside Big Tom

You know those days where you crave nothing but a real drive in cheeseburger? Not something from a chain, or that fancy "sit down" place, but a burger grilled just for you and, more often than not, with some sort of catchy name that makes it just that much better. And while you're at it you might as well throw in an order of fries and a milkshake, you know, as a way of showing further support for mom & pop businesses. They appreciate it and you'll sleep even better after the meal.

Here's an example of what we're talking about. Ladies and gentleman exhibit A:

Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom

After staring at that photo for days we knew the only way to find out if the food tasted half as good as it looked in the photo was to make the drive up to Olympia, WA and eat at the Eastside Big Tom. So, in the name of research we loaded up the wagon and headed north. 115 miles later we spotted the first Big Tom plywood mascot and we knew we had found the type of place we're always hoping for.

Before we talk about the food we wanted to share a bit of the Big Tom history. For us the only thing better than a great roadside business is one with some history behind it and we were lucky enough to hear some of that history from the owner Michael.

Originally founded in 1948, the Big Tom is the oldest "drive thru" restaurant in Washington state. Here's a look at the original building on the site:

Photo courtesy of  Eastside Big Tom

Around 1960 or so the building was upgraded and locals were lining up for the "Big Tom" burger at the Eastside In & Out. 

Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom

In 1969 the Fritsch family purchased the business (after working there for several years) and a new chapter was born with the Eastside Big Tom. In 2008 Michael Fritsch purchased the business from his parents and has devoted himself to quality food, great customer service and a welcome sense of humor as evidenced by this photo of him gamely posing with our mascot Stinky.

By now you're all asking, "How was the food!?" We're happy to report it was seriously one of the best drive in meals we've ever had. We'd also like to point out the customer service was completely on the ball and the entire place was spotless. And as any local drive in should, they do have their own special ingredient used not only as a dipping sauce, but also as a burger dressing. The name of this wonder ingredient - Goop! We've enjoyed many special sauces over the miles but this one was unlike any we'd had before. Here's a photo of Goop in action (in a Big Tom compostable container none the less):

Photo courtesy of Eastside Big Tom

Another great feature of the Big Tom menu is the amazing selection of milkshakes and malts. We went with the root beer milkshake on our visit and now have plans to work ourselves through the entire menu. We also enjoyed the atmosphere of the place - it felt like a roadside attraction and that's always a good thing!

The Eastside Big Tom is located at 2023 4th Ave East in Olympia, WA. Open 7 days a week, they accept cash or checks only but do have an ATM on site. For all of us who live out of the area, but still enjoy looking at photos of great drive in food presented with a bit of humor, you can become a fan of their Facebook page here.

Until next time Big Tom...

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside
and
Vintage Roadside on Facebook

Vintage Roadside Visits: The Frostop in LaPlace, Louisiana

As we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, we thought this would be the perfect time to share some history behind a classic roadside drive in. Nothing says summer like a meal at a mom and pop place with some history behind it!

We were thrilled to recently talk with Terry Toler of the LaPlace Frostop and here’s some history she was kind enough to share with us.

Vintage Roadside: What year was the LaPlace Frostop built?

Terry: 1958.

Vintage Roadside: Who built the restaurant?

Terry: My grandfather, Morris Terry built the LaPlace Frostop as an investment. He, my grandmother, and mom would take rides to one in Kenner, LA and he decided to build one in LaPlace. He never ran it - he leased it out.

Vintage Roadside: So the original restaurant was built as a franchise location?

Terry: Yes, this restaurant was built to be a Frostop.

Vintage Roadside: Did your grandfather have prior restaurant experience?

Terry: My grandfather and grandmother May Terry actually had a restaurant near where Frostop is today named Terry’s Restaurant. It burned down in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s.

Vintage Roadside: Has the restaurant always been owned by your family?

Terry: Starting with my grandfather it has been in our family the entire 51 years. The first man to lease it, not sure of his name, ran it for about 6 months. He was followed by Sonny Kendrick and then his brother Wayne Kendrick who ran it until 1966. The Frostop was run from 1966 - 1973 by Bill Gooding, Dave Millet, and Roland Millet.

Vintage Roadside: How long has your family been actively operating the restaurant?

Terry: My parents, Jimmie and Evelyn Toler, took over operation of the Frostop June 1, 1973. I joined my parents after graduating from LSU in 1993. I actually started back in 1979 cleaning tables and washing dishes and progressed from there on!

Vintage Roadside: When did the Frostop chain cease operation?

Terry: The best we can tell it was around 1981. My Dad called in an order for Frostop merchandise - cups, napkins, etc. The company handling that said they were no longer handling those items. Apparently we were the only Frostop buying the items. We never received any formal notification.

Vintage Roadside: How many Frostop restaurants are left?

Terry: There are several left scattered throughout the United States. There are more in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas than anywhere else in the country. The one in Thibodaux moved to a new location, as did one that was in Jefferson - it moved to Destrehan, so they no longer have the original look. Several “new” Frostop’s have opened and closed in the area in the past few years. There is no franchise so everyone does their own thing. Outside of Louisiana, there are Frostop’s in Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Illinois, Utah, and Idaho. Many of these are no longer operating in their original buildings. The Frostop in Huntington, West Virginia seems to be the one that has most maintained its original look. It was built in 1959. The internet has really allowed us to see the other Frostop’s across the country.

Here is a great website detailing some of them.

Vintage Roadside: Your building still has that classic, original look to it. What changes have you made since 1958?

Terry: The building has changed some through the years. The original building was much smaller. The mug was on the roof and there was no neon on the building or mug. Below is the original look:


The mug was moved to a pole sometime in the 1960’s and neon was put on the building and mug. No one seems to remember the details of mug move and neon. The dining room was added in 1962. At some point an office, back area, and storage room were added. In 1981, my Dad Jimmie, decided to do a renovation and changed the layout of the kitchen and serving area. The cooking and serving were all done in a small area. We had the room so they changed it up making things much better. The only change to the outside of the building was covering the original tile with wood. That was a decision that would come back to haunt us!


Serving cooking area before remodeling:


The mug received its first minor renovation in 1987, scaffolding was erected and the neon was taken off. Mugs Coleman, a local man, did some minor repairs to the metal and then repainted it. We had the rotation repaired by Brightway Signs and then put the mugs rotation and neon maintenance under contract with them.


In the early 1990’s a cream colored siding went on top of the wood and original tile.


Then in 1996, we found out that the building had Formosan termites! The wood under the siding was NOT a good idea, so off came the siding and the wood underneath it. We put cream colored tiles over the original tiles. The decision was made to change out our floor and put a slanted metal roof instead of the original flat roof. One week into the project with the roof off it stormed and our ceiling and walls buckled. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We found out we had termites in every wall! That started the process of almost 2 months of being closed and having every wall redone. The roof now has a different look thanks to that! The neon on the face of the building was changed a bit. Hamburgers - Hotdogs -BBQ now reads Burgers - Poboys - Hotdogs.


We were very conscious by 1996 that we wanted things to go back as they had been. I think had we bulldozed and started over it would have greatly changed people’s perception of the LaPlace Frostop.

The next change was the 2007 complete restoration of the mug. The original mug was sheet metal but it was redone in aluminum. The original frame, handle, and fiberglass frame were kept. Brightway/American Sign did the work. They still had the maintenance contract and completely reworked the transformers for the neon and rotation while it was in their shop.


I feel the building has stayed true to its roots while keeping it looking as original as possible. The only thing we would like to do is remove the siding under the canopy - under the siding is the original checkerboard pattern on the canopy.


Vintage Roadside: You mentioned the restoration of the mug – while being such an important piece of your history, it must have been one of those things that can really affect a budget.

Terry: I didn’t change the neon in the renovation - they took it off and put it back on. The rebuilding of the mug was just under $19,000 - to do the neon all new would have been at least another $10,000.

Vintage Roadside: Was there ever a thought to not restore the mug and replace it with a less-expensive plastic sign?

Terry: That was NEVER even considered!!

Vintage Roadside: The rest of the neon on your building also looks amazing. How tough is it to maintain those signs?

Terry: That is what we’ve had the contract since 1987 for! It currently runs us $106.58 a month for neon and mug rotation - VERY worth it. Insurance also covered the neon damage after Hurricane Katrina.

Vintage Roadside: Do you have vintage memorabilia from the restaurant?

Terry: Some - wish we had kept more! Now we have to buy it back on eBay! I am currently restoring on old rootbeer barrel for display in our dining room. We still have some mugs with the logo. We were having them printed with the logo until 2004. The last batch had a problem and the mugs broke very easily. We think there was a problem in the firing process putting the logo on…that ended the logo on the mugs. One of the coolest items to me is the metal sign that shows the original patent.


Vintage Roadside: Do you offer inside and outside dining?

Terry: Yes, inside and outside dining as well as phone orders

Vintage Roadside: What are some of the items we might have the pleasure of ordering at the Frostop we might not find at another drive in?

Terry: We have expanded way beyond the original Frostop menu. We have a golden grilled chicken sandwich and salad that are excellent. We actually have a huge menu. We also cook everything when it is ordered - so everything is fresh and hot.

Vintage Roadside: We've heard you've got your own onion ring breading. Is it as amazing as we hear?

Terry: People seem to love them. We didn’t have them for months after Hurricane Katrina due to our supplier going under water in New Orleans. We found out how much our customers missed them. We now sell our onion ring breading in 3lb bags for home use.

Vintage Roadside: You offer frosted mugs of root beer. Any guesses on how many of those mugs have been "accidentally" taken home over the years?

Terry: More that I would care to count. I went to someone’s house once and they showed me a cabinet full!!

Vintage Roadside: How long have some of your regulars been eating at the Frostop?

Terry: Some since the beginning….we have even had people tell us they got engaged here!

Vintage Roadside: When/where can we stop by for a meal?

Terry: We are open Monday - Saturday 11am - 6pm. We are located at 411 E. Airline Hwy. LaPlace, LA stop by and see us!

Vintage Roadside: Thanks Terry for sharing your history, and also thanks to your family for keeping the Frostop going for over 50 years.

Terry: You’re welcome!

So, if you find yourself down in Louisiana and are looking for a great meal we’d highly recommend a stop by the Frostop! We’ve got our eye on the Lot-O-Cheese Burger, the Golden Grilled Chicken Sandwich, two orders of onion rings, a rootbeer and a banana milkshake!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

All images courtesy of the LaPlace Frostop.

1964 Downers Grove, Illinois Drive In Restaurant History

By early 1964 the City of Downers Grove, Illinois had its fill of rowdy teenagers at the local drive in restaurants. Fed up with the seeming lack of response by some of the drive in operators, councilman John Behnke, with the assistance of the Illinois State Highway Department, took it upon himself to conduct a study of the behavior at one local drive in.

His study was conducted on a Friday night between the hours of 9:00 pm - 1:30 am. On that single evening, Mr. Behnke counted an amazing 654 cars "looping" through the lot of this drive in! Interestingly, not one of those cars made a single purchase. He also noted that some of these cars were from as far away as Chicago and Aurora. The reason behind this huge volume of traffic was that every other drive in closed at midnight on Friday night while this one stayed open until 2:00 am.


The next city council meeting found Mr. Behnke presenting his findings to the rest of the council including the Mayor. It was decided that the following city council meeting would result in a city ordinance to limit the closing hours of all drive ins.

Fearing that their restaurants would be affected by the behavior of one business, the next meeting was heavily attended by local drive in owners. The owners proposed a set of rules that they would personally enforce (without the need for a city ordinance). The city agreed, and on September 30th, 1964 the "Code of Conduct" was adopted by all drive in restaurants located in the city of Downers Grove. While the new rules were suitable to both the city and the owners, it still took 3 or 4 weeks for the patrons to realize the rules were going to be seriously enforced. Those first few weeks resulted in numerous arrests for "peeling, speeding, reckless driving, loud mufflers, etc.".

Below are those 12 rules.

WE WILL:

1) Prohibit any continuous looping or circling of our parking lots.

2) Not permit patrons to congregate outside their cars.

3) Not serve teenagers under the age of 18 after curfew hours. 11:00 pm Sunday through Thursday 12:00 am Friday and Saturday.

4) Have cars left unattended towed away at car owner's expense.

5) Request that patrons enter and leave the premises as quietly as possible. Racking of pipes, peeling of tires and unnecessary use of horn will be prohibited.

6) Cooperate fully with police on duty at our establishments, whether hired by us or on city duty.

7) Prescribe a reasonable time limit for eating for the purpose of discouraging loitering.

8) Prohibit alcohol on the premises anywhere and at any time.

9) Prohibit cars to exceed 10 mph on the premises.

10) Make every effort to avoid the scattering of refuse onto other people's premises, and will police our own lots and neighboring grounds to control littering.

11) Make every effort to obtain license numbers of patrons who have caused problems to the public as well as to the operator.

12) Ask disorderly groups to leave the premises.


We hope you enjoyed this look back at the rowdy side of drive in history!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside takes to Highway 99 in search of the Chicken Coop Inn

We love to collect things. Postcards, menus, matchbooks, brochures, signs, old phone books, accounting ledgers, giant fiberglass statues, motor court receipts... actually just about anything from an old mom and pop business.

Recently, we were excited to find this business card for a restaurant once located in Kalama, Washington called the Chicken Coop Inn. We love the sense of humor in "Capacity 40,000 - 40 at a Time". The Chicken Coop Inn was also once located along Highway 99 - one of our favorite roads to travel. After finding the card, we made plans to see if we could locate any trace of the Coop the next time we were up that way.


Treated to a rare sunny February day (you don't want to waste those in Oregon as it may be June before the next one rolls around) we decided to load up the car and see what we could find. We headed across the river and wound our way along Highway 99 through Vancouver. There are still quite a few working neon signs and vintage businesses from the heyday of Highway 99 in this stretch.

One of our favorite Vancouver signs is the Bi-Lo Food Mart. The sign is maintained nicely and the top portion still spins. We stopped and stocked up on roadtrip refreshments and spent a few minutes staring at the sign. Decades later and a sign with motion still stops us in our tracks.

Sections of Highway 99 now lie under I-5 but we discovered you can still exit onto an old stretch of Highway 99 three miles south of Kalama. The Chicken Coop card mentioned they were located 2 1/2 miles south of town so it was fun to know we were traveling the same stretch of highway as one-time patrons. Unfortunately we didn't locate any signs of the Coop, but when it comes down to it, the card was just another reason to go for a drive:-) We'll keep researching and hopefully come up with some history at some point.

When we hit downtown Kalama we parked the car and took a walk through town. Kalama is a nice little place and features some great vintage signs. One of our favorites is the Burger Bar. It's not often you see three of the four major food groups on a neon sign.


The Columbia Inn still displays an amazing collection of neon signs and the Chinook Room sign makes us long for the days when most restaurants and even bowling alleys had a "named" lounge. I remember eating in restaurants as a kid wondering where all those grownups were disappearing to through the dark lounge doorways. Bonus points for the sign on the side of the building proudly counting Elvis Presley and Jack Benny as former patrons of the Columbia Inn.


After the Columbia Inn we drive over to Longview to see what we could find. Coming into town we spotted one of our all-time favorite things - a giant fiberglass statue! This one seemed to be the perfect find as we had started out looking for the Chicken Coop and felt a giant rooster was a more than suitable discovery. We've been looking to adopt one of these so if anyone runs across one needing a new home let us know. If our neighbors are reading this we promise not to put it on the roof of our house**.

* Special occasions not subject to these terms.
* Special occasions t.b.d.

Once in Longview, the first thing we discovered was that the town was a lot bigger than we expected. The traffic was also pretty heavy so we're looking forward to another visit to cover some of the things we missed this time around.

One of the best neon signs we found was located in a parking lot. The tavern appears to have a different name now so it's nice to see this orphan sign still standing. We really liked the combination of shapes and colors on this one.

We were in awe of the Town House Motel located on Washington Way. Coming across a mom and pop motel like this makes you feel like you're on the road in 1959. Seeing the collection of neon blazing away at the Town House it felt like we had gone back in time and were wrapping up a day on the road at a place we had had circled in our handy motel guide. Each of the signs was working perfectly and made for a great photo stop.

Some of the other great signs we spotted were the Paragon Chinese Restaurant and the Triangle Bowl. If you'd like to see more photos from the trip you can visit our Flickr page here.

Hope everyone had a great February and has a roadtrip or two in the works!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Vintage Roadside is happy to welcome two new retailers!

Happy February everyone!

We're excited to announce you can now find a selection of our Vintage Roadside t-shirts at two new locations.

For those of you in the fair state of Idaho we'd like to introduce you to Back From the Past Vintage located in Idaho Falls. Back From the Past is a vintage-themed business located inside the Trackside Antique Mall. Back From the Past carries a selection of vintage items from the 1940s - 1970s and will also be at several local events this Spring and Summer. You can find upcoming events listed at their MySpace page below.

• What: Vintage Roadside t-shirts at Back From the Past Vintage
• Where: Trackside Antique Mall. Booth #432. 310 Poulson St., Idaho Falls, ID
• Contact Info: (208) 523-9111 and on MySpace here.

For our friends here in Portland we're excited to have a selection of our shirts now available at Frock Boutique. Frock carries a wonderful variety of handmade goods created by local mom and pop designers as well as a selection of great vintage items. (If you'd like to read a few reviews about Frock you can find their Yelp entries here.) We're thrilled to be working with a shop that works hard to support other local businesses!

• What: Vintage Roadside t-shirts at Frock Boutique.
• Where: Frock Boutique. 1439 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR
• Contact Info: (503) 595-0379 and at their website here.

If you have a chance, stop by and check out the Vintage Roadside selection along with all the other great items!

Jeff & Kelly
Vintage Roadside

Portland, Oregon to Tulsa, Oklahoma - Day 1

Welcome aboard everyone! Day one of Vintage Roadside's road trip from Portland, Oregon to the National Trust's Preservation Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma is now in the books. We logged just over 500 miles and have stopped for the night in Susanville, California.

Eager to reach Topock, Arizona and begin the Route 66 portion of our trip, we decided to keep today's sightseeing to a minimum, although we did mange to swing by one of our favorite mom and pops in Southern Oregon - The Polar Bear Drive In, located in Merrill.

The Polar Bear was built in the late 1940s, and is one of the places that make a road trip special. Something about a chocolate malt that makes the miles fly by. The last time we visited we didn't have our "This Place Matters" sign so we were looking forward to taking a photo. We also felt that we should try the tater tots again to confirm our initial approval and, yes, they may have been even better than before!

For those of you new to "This Place Matters," here's a link where you can learn more. There's a great forum you can check out where people share photos and stories about places that they treasure.

We also discovered a wonderful mid-century modern drive in located in Newell, California. After a quick chat with the owner, we learned that Steve & Terry's Drive In was moved from a neighboring town to its present location about 30 years ago. A great example of creative preservation! The building itself makes quite an impact located in the high desert area of northern California.

Another highlight of the day was a stop at the Adin Supply Company in Adin, California, serving the community since 1906. If you grew up in a small town you'd recognize this type of store as the place where you could pick up a loaf of bread, a spiral notebook, a new winter coat, and a package of fish hooks. Our purchase came from their large selection of soda in glass bottles - we went with the Kickapoo Joy Juice.

We'll be on the road bright and early tomorrow morning, getting a jump on the last 500 miles to Topock. We have some incredible preservation projects and organizations to feature and are looking forward to meeting some of the people working to preserve the history, architecture, and signage of Route 66.

A few photos from the road:

A view of the surroundings as we approach Oakridge, Oregon.

A beautiful day along Klamath Lake.

Kelly displays the "This Place Matters" sign in front of the Polar Bear Drive In. Merrill, Oregon.

Steve & Terry's Drive In located in Newell, California.

Another view of the fantastic Googie style drive in.

Vintage Roadside Visits: The Polar Bear Drive In

A couple of weeks back it was time for the annual "Mrs. Vintage Roadside Family Reunion 2008" down in Klamath Falls. We always look forward to seeing the whole family, and as an added bonus, any destination more than 2 miles from our house means we'll be stopping to gawk at roadside stuff every 100 yards or so. It generally takes us about 3 days to travel more than 100 miles.

One of the day trip options this year was a brother-in-law guided tour of the Lava Beds National Monument. We had never been so it sounded great. Driving south to visit the park, we passed through the small town of Merrill, Oregon located near the Oregon/California border. It's always exciting passing through a town for the first time and we look forward to seeing new things.

Driving down Front Street we caught a quick glimpse of a drive in restaurant. Being part of the official family convoy and laden with nieces and nephew, locking up the brakes and whipping a U-turn was not practical. Someone would have noticed their children missing long before we had enjoyed our meal. We realized the best way to get in a visit would be to plant the idea of stopping on the way back in everyone's subconscious. Questions like "Hey, have you ever eaten at that drive in?" "You have?" "Is it good?" "It sure looks like a great place." I'm happy to say we stopped on the way back and found it to be as good as we had hoped.


Located on Front Street the Polar Bear Drive In is easy to find. Look for the water tower and the 30' x 50' (giant) flag.


Built in the late 1940s next door to the former Merrill School, the Polar Bear must have enjoyed the benefits of its location tremendously. It would seem natural to stop by after school for an ice cream cone, or a soda, maybe some fries...okay, might as well have a hamburger too! Exhibiting incredible business savvy, the founder of the Polar Bear was none other than a teacher next door at the Merrill School.


In 1980, new owners took over the Polar Bear. Janet and Ernie dug in and, for the first time in decades, the Polar Bear began operating year round. Today the Polar Bear is operated by Jan and Ernie's son Tony and his wife. You'll find Tony manning the grille and his wife busy taking orders. They continue to offer a great assortment of classic drive in fare, and something you see less and less of these days, a wonderfully maintained neon sign. Although we were there during the day Tony was kind enough to flip the switch so we could get a few photos of the sign.


A few of the things our group ordered: Chocolate malt - fantastic, French fries - very good, Corn dog - nicely done, Hot dog - very good, Double cheeseburger - also great, tater tots - good, various ice cream cones - perfect.


Next time you're down that way do yourself a favor and stop in at the Polar Bear. If you're a fan of classic roadside architecture, neon signs, mom and pop businesses, or just a great malt, here's a chance to see something you don't see every day - a vintage mom and pop drive in restaurant, complete with working neon sign, friendly owners, and wonderful original Coca-Cola decals in the windows.

If you'd like to give Tony a call the number above is area code (541).

The Tik Tok Drive In Reunion was a blast.

We had a wonderful time at the Tik Tok Reunion this past weekend and wanted to say thank you to Jim Tyson of the Road Knights and Amy Snyder from the Portland Foursquare Church for all of their hard work organizing the show.

We had the Vintage Roadside booth on hand offering our Tik Tok t-shirt along with a few of our other shirts, including Pixieland, but there were two things we most looked forward to: the opportunity to hear firsthand from people who had been to the Tik Tok and to have the opportunity to display a handful of our Portland, Oregon restaurant items. We had original Tik Tok menus, a Tik Tok ashtray, 1963 Yellow Page ads for The Speck Drive In, and other items from classic Portland restaurants such as Waddle's, Jolly Joan's, The Stirrup Room, and more. Another highlight for us were the memories people jotted down in our Portland scrapbook. Here are a couple of examples:

"Looking for action on a Friday or Saturday night? Hit Jim Dandy's, then on to Yaw's, Scottie's, and the Tik Tok. Last chance was the Speck on Foster."

"Ate at the Tik Tok and walked over to Scottie's to request a song from dj Dick Novak. Announced our engagement on the radio (before we told our folks)." 1957

As our goal at Vintage Roadside is to collect and share as much history and as many stories as we can from these bygone places, events like the Tik Tok Reunion are invaluable. We want to say thank you to everyone who spent time with us sharing memories and stories, especially one gentleman who told us how he used to hang out with his hot rod for hours at the Tik Tok. The toll? A carton of milk and one toasted bun for $0.05. Thanks also to everyone who offered their appreciation for the history we're preserving and sharing through Vintage Roadside.

In other Tik Tok news we began work on a documentary about the Tik Tok Drive In. We'll have more information in the next few weeks regarding the film.

If you have memories of going to your favorite drive in you'd like to share we'd love to hear from you. Just click here which will take you to the Vintage Roadside contact form.

Be seeing you soon!

The A&W Baby Burger

This week we thought we'd share a piece of our dining ephemera. Raise your hand if you remember getting A&W hamburgers in the shiny foil bags. I remember these being almost as cool as the frosty mugs of root beer. My childhood memories of these 4 different bags has led me to conclude that without a doubt these bags magically improved the taste of the hamburgers. A couple of the ways this worked (in my mind anyway:-) is that the foil bags kept the burger warm, unlike today's paper wraps. They also were leak proof so you ended up with a nice puddle of sauce and toppings in the bag which would "waft" up at you as you took each bite. Ok, those are just wild guesses, but hey, they sure were great bags and hamburgers!

A&W used the silver foil for the Baby Burger, the Teen Burger, and the Mama Burger. If you were ready to tackle the Papa Burger you were worthy of the gold bag.


So, thank you A&W for the memories of "graduating" from the Baby Burger to the Teen Burger, for having the lighted menu boards in the car service area where one of the highlights was flipping the switch for a tray pickup - and for those meals where we decided to eat inside - the menu board with the white phone to place your order.

A side of history to go with our Tik Tok Drive In t-shirt

The Tik Tok Drive In, once located at the corner of Sandy & Burnside in Portland is still regarded as a true Portland classic. Below is a short history of this wonderful establishment. All text and images can also be found at Vintage Roadside located here.

“Time to Eat”

The Tik Tok Drive In, Portland Oregon’s first drive-in restaurant, was located at the bustling intersection of East Burnside, Sandy, & 12^th. Opened in 1938 by Sherman Marriott and Horace Williams, the Tik Tok remains a fond memory to the generations of Portlanders who enjoyed hanging out here with friends and family over a hamburger and a frosted root beer.

When it opened in 1938, Tik Tok's architecture illustrated some of the best features of Streamline Moderne. Large banks of windows surrounded the buliding while porthole windows beside the door added a jaunty touch. A dramatic roof pylon topping the building allowed the neon “Tik Tok” sign to be seen from a great distance. The curved shape of he building also gave the Tik Tok increased parking capacity, something the teenagers who flocked there took full advantage of!

The Tik Tok, along with Yaw’s and The Speck, were the places to be on a Friday night in Portland. Another favorite activity of the Tik Tok clientele was watching the parking lot across the street at Scotty’s to see just who else might be out and about.

A selection of items from Tik Tok's late 1930s menu illustrates the delicious variety of food on offer:

• Special Thick Creamy Malted Milk............................ .20
• Golden Orange Whip.................................................... .15
• Special Hamburger with Cheese................................. .20
• Ham Waffle, with Butter and Syrup........................... .35
• Tik Tok's DeLuxe French Fried Potatoes.................. .10

Those in the mood for a sandwich could choose between hot melted cheese and bacon grilled in butter for .35, Swiss cheese on rye for .15, or go full out and enjoy a roast young turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy for .35. Those looking for a light meal could pick up a toasted bun for .05 and hot soup made daily for .15.

Over the next 19 years, one of the few changes to Tik Tok's architecture was a fantastic addition to its neon signage. The simple neon letters on the pylon spelling out “Tik Tok” were removed. In their place, a giant coffee cup was added to the base of the pylon with neon “steam” working its way up the spire. A new slogan was also added in neon: “Time to Eat”. This animated marvel is still remembered with awe.

The Tik Tok was open 24 hours a day from 1938 to 1957 when Mr. Marriott and Mr. Williams sold the business to the Harris brothers. The Tik Tok served customers for another 14 years before the neon was turned off for the last time in 1971.

If you'd like to see more please visit our Tik Tok page located here.

We're always looking for more history to present with each of the businesses we feature so please let us know if you have any memories, stories, souvenirs or photos of these wonderful places.