Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

debm55

(48,797 posts)
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:38 PM Feb 2025

When you were a kid/teen what was your favorite fast food place to go to? They may be long gone or still around. Mine

was a place by the roller skating place called Harper's Burgers--burgers were 10 cents.

169 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
When you were a kid/teen what was your favorite fast food place to go to? They may be long gone or still around. Mine (Original Post) debm55 Feb 2025 OP
Roy Rogers happybird Feb 2025 #1
Thank you very much happybird. We didn't have any in my area. When I went to college.they had a Roy Rogers. debm55 Feb 2025 #3
Howard Johnson's..my parents treated us to an ice cream cone after a day at the beach Deuxcents Feb 2025 #2
Thank you Deuxcents. I only remember them from the PA turnpike. My husband said they were all over the place in MA, He debm55 Feb 2025 #9
I'm not sure Howard Johnson's qualifies as "fast food"... regnaD kciN Feb 2025 #24
Too many... lol SheltieLover Feb 2025 #4
Thank you very much SheltieLover. I still have my weenie whistle. Hahaha debm55 Feb 2025 #57
Too funny you still have it! SheltieLover Feb 2025 #87
Peter Pan Ice Cream Store, they had great burgers and fries too... wcmagumba Feb 2025 #5
A&W Drive In... wcmagumba Feb 2025 #29
Thank you wcmagumba. That sounds great debm55 Feb 2025 #58
Yaw's Portland Oregon.. Permanut Feb 2025 #6
Thank you very much Permanut. What a great post debm55 Feb 2025 #59
When I was in high school my Luciferous Feb 2025 #7
Thank you very much Luciferous. That sounds great. debm55 Feb 2025 #60
Dog 'n suds for rootbeer & Tex Mex burgers SheltieLover Feb 2025 #8
Thank you SheltieLover. I remember them. Good memories. debm55 Feb 2025 #62
Very good memories! SheltieLover Feb 2025 #86
I do remember "HoJos" (Howard Johnsons) but also Shrimp Boats (some of those structures are still around hlthe2b Feb 2025 #10
Thank you hlthe2b. That shrimp boat place sounds great. Wish we had one around here. Love shrimp, too. debm55 Feb 2025 #63
Dairy Queen no_hypocrisy Feb 2025 #11
There's a Dairy Queen not far from me..they offer a10% discount for seniors on Tuesdays Deuxcents Feb 2025 #14
Thank you very much no-hypocrisy. debm55 Feb 2025 #65
My first job was at Dairy Queen. I made thick blizzards for my high school friends. Walleye Feb 2025 #127
As a kid... we could get nickel tacos at a little store a bike's ride from our house... ultralite001 Feb 2025 #12
Thank you ultralite001, that's how we got our money too. Your two choices sound great. debm55 Feb 2025 #66
50+ years later... ultralite001 Feb 2025 #148
Thank you ultralite001 debm55 Feb 2025 #149
The Lure displacedvermoter Feb 2025 #13
Thank you very much displacedvermoter. That sounds wonderful. debm55 Feb 2025 #67
Harley's Bmoboy Feb 2025 #15
Thank you very Bmoboy. They sound terrific. debm55 Feb 2025 #68
Elby's Big Boy nt doc03 Feb 2025 #16
Our Big Boy's was Elias Brothers JoseBalow Feb 2025 #21
I think the Elias Brothers also owned Elby's in WV, Western PA doc03 Feb 2025 #22
Our local Big Boy is now a marijuana dispensary. Emile Feb 2025 #116
Like the KFC in South Park JoseBalow Feb 2025 #119
Thank you very much doc03. We had Big Boy and a similiar place called Eat and Park. Eat and Park is still around. debm55 Feb 2025 #69
There was aa Eat & Park Big Boy in Washington PA. doc03 Feb 2025 #79
Thank you doc03. There was one in Bethel Park. They had the misfortune of placing the Big Boy in the grass in the front debm55 Feb 2025 #144
Gino's Freddie Feb 2025 #17
Thank you Freddie. I vaguely remember Gino"s debm55 Feb 2025 #70
We used to eat mostly at local diners or bar & grills. BlueKota Feb 2025 #18
Thank you BlueKota. That sounds wonderful debm55 Feb 2025 #71
I would beg Mom to take us to "Big Hat" JoseBalow Feb 2025 #19
HAHAHHAHHAHAHH. Did she take you to the Big Hat aka Arby's? debm55 Feb 2025 #72
Yes! We even had a little song about it JoseBalow Feb 2025 #100
Thank you, JoseBalow. debm55 Feb 2025 #104
Carroll's Hamburgers in Western New York. I sure would love to travel back in time and stop in one again. The days of 15 NBachers Feb 2025 #20
OH. The one I went to had the space age design too. Yes, 15 cent burgers. No eat in. Ordered your food and ate in the debm55 Feb 2025 #50
In Pittsburgh some_of_us_are_sane Feb 2025 #23
Thank you very much, some_of_us_are_sane. That sounds wounderful. debm55 Feb 2025 #48
Way back when Victorville CA had less than 3,000 people ... Dorothy V Feb 2025 #25
Thank you very much, Dorothy V. It sounds great. debm55 Feb 2025 #47
Local drive in's WmChris Feb 2025 #26
Thank you very much for sharing, WmChris. I only remember one drive in and it no longer around. debm55 Feb 2025 #46
Wendy's. We moved from Ohio to Virginia underpants Feb 2025 #27
HAHAHAHHAH. thank you very much underpants. debm55 Feb 2025 #44
A fast food place I liked back 50 years or so was Burger Chef. House of Roberts Feb 2025 #28
I remember Burger Chef. We didn't have a Sno-White but had a White Tower in Pittsburgh. Your story is funny about the debm55 Feb 2025 #35
A & W Drive-In. It was the ONLY "fast food" place within 50 miles, lol. catbyte Feb 2025 #30
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA. That sounds good. So sorry for your dad. Did you still go back there to eat? debm55 Feb 2025 #33
We had no choice, lol. And it was cool to eat in the car. catbyte Feb 2025 #36
The Varsity, Atlanta, Georgia. Downtown. Solly Mack Feb 2025 #31
Thank you very much Solly Mack. debm55 Feb 2025 #32
I have eaten there! Good place! (n/t) OldBaldy1701E Feb 2025 #111
I always enjoyed it. Been a few years though. Solly Mack Feb 2025 #122
Yeah. Like 30! LOL. OldBaldy1701E Feb 2025 #138
El Greco Xipe Totec Feb 2025 #34
We did not have in my region. It sounds great. Thank you , Xipe Totec. debm55 Feb 2025 #43
When I was a patrol boy in 8th grade . boonecreek Feb 2025 #37
Thank you boonecreek. We had a similiar place. Loved their fish sandwiches. debm55 Feb 2025 #42
Carolls hamburgers wendyb-NC Feb 2025 #38
Thank you very much, wenyb-NC. They sound good. debm55 Feb 2025 #41
The Original Tommy's! Initech Feb 2025 #39
Thank you very much Initech. debm55 Feb 2025 #40
Mike's Grill Emile Feb 2025 #45
We had one like that. Is that in SW PA? they were great. debm55 Feb 2025 #73
Tilton, Illinois Emile Feb 2025 #74
Thank you. Emile. debm55 Feb 2025 #141
Winkys Earl_from_PA Feb 2025 #49
I remember Winky:s. If I remember correctly There was no place to eat inside. Thank you Earl_from_PA debm55 Feb 2025 #56
Friendly's surrealAmerican Feb 2025 #51
That sounds really good, surrealAmerican. I would skip the burger and eat the sundae, debm55 Feb 2025 #75
MR Quick Burgers BOSSHOG Feb 2025 #52
Thank you BOSSHOG. I'm glad you liked MR.Quick Burgers. debm55 Feb 2025 #140
Chet O'Keely's in Barberton, Ohio. Chey was a half punch drunk ex-boxer. The place was a dive ... marble falls Feb 2025 #53
Marble ... it's not fast food, but have you ever had Barberton Chicken? I have not but I hear raves over it. Diamond_Dog Feb 2025 #54
You mean Milich's Village Inn, Belgrade Gardens, Hopican Gardens, the White House - ... marble falls Feb 2025 #64
Thank you marble falls. You have a selection there. debm55 Feb 2025 #143
Gino's Hamburgers Marigold Feb 2025 #55
Thank you Marigold. I remember a Gino's here in Pittsburgh, But it didn't last long. debm55 Feb 2025 #145
A&W Root Beer lark Feb 2025 #61
Thank you very much . Lark.. I remember the A&W stands. Never ate there though. Still have a Dairy Queen here. debm55 Feb 2025 #78
Pop's Place gab13by13 Feb 2025 #76
Thank you gab13 by 13 . I never liked plain root beer but I loved root beer floats. debm55 Feb 2025 #99
My friend and his dad would sometimes treat me RazorbackExpat Feb 2025 #77
Thank you very much RazorbackExpat. That was very kind of them. So Mr. Quick was the burger joint? 19 cents for a debm55 Feb 2025 #98
Mr. Quick had a great location, too RazorbackExpat Feb 2025 #158
Thank you RazorbackExpat, debm55 Feb 2025 #159
We also had a Dog 'n Suds for a while RazorbackExpat Feb 2025 #167
Frisko Freeze dwp6577 Feb 2025 #80
Thank you very much, dwp6577, That sounds fantastic. debm55 Feb 2025 #96
There weren't any "fast food" places where I lived as a child/teen. We went to the soda LoisB Feb 2025 #81
I went to the local pharmacy and would get real milk shakes and the orange crackers with peanut butter inside. TY LoisB debm55 Feb 2025 #95
If you want a real milk shake today, you have to make it yourself. LoisB Feb 2025 #142
Agree debm55 Feb 2025 #147
starting in jr hi my walk to/from school was over a mile long... samnsara Feb 2025 #82
Oh that sounds great. Thank you very much samnsara. debm55 Feb 2025 #93
Smaks Hamburgers in Kansas City and surroundings marked50 Feb 2025 #83
Thank you very much. marked50. It sounds delicious debm55 Feb 2025 #92
Dairy Queen mwmisses4289 Feb 2025 #84
Sad isn't it? The best places during your youth in your area are gone.Thank you mwmisses4289 debm55 Feb 2025 #91
DQ is Not Gone! justaprogressive Feb 2025 #94
I have answered the question wrong. I should have said in the posters area. as I have one here. I'll fix. debm55 Feb 2025 #139
A&W drive in justaprogressive Feb 2025 #85
A&W for Nirvana root beer floats and any place I could get a banana split. Polly Hennessey Feb 2025 #88
Thank you very much, Polly Hennessey. Banana splits---YES debm55 Feb 2025 #89
Yummy. Thank you very much justaprogressive. Loved the Black Cow, but not a root beer fan. debm55 Feb 2025 #90
Italian Place About A Mile From Our House ProfessorGAC Feb 2025 #97
Thank you ProfessorGAC. They say the restaurant business has the highest turn around for closing. Thank you for sharing debm55 Feb 2025 #109
Chris's Burgers. 10 cents also. OLDMDDEM Feb 2025 #101
Thank you very much OLDMDDEM. debm55 Feb 2025 #107
Carroll's Hamburgers on Wesport Avenue, Norwalk, CT pdxflyboy Feb 2025 #102
Thank you pdxflyboy. I think someone else mentioned a Carroll's Hamburger. They must have been good. debm55 Feb 2025 #106
Dairy Queen was very nearby. LakeArenal Feb 2025 #103
Thank you very much LakeArenal. You had some great places nearby. debm55 Feb 2025 #105
The Morris Barbeque in Elgin, IL, about 40 miles from Chicago. greatauntoftriplets Feb 2025 #108
Thank you very much, greatauntoftriplets. I went to the Facebook site you listed. The Roaster was outside. It looks some debm55 Feb 2025 #123
I was surprised that there wasn't more information on it. greatauntoftriplets Feb 2025 #125
Oh I thought since I am not a member that I couldn't read more. debm55 Feb 2025 #137
You should be able to read it unless it's limited to members. greatauntoftriplets Feb 2025 #146
I don't think we ever went out for dinner at a fast food place. We'd stop at Dairy Queen if we were visiting our... electric_blue68 Feb 2025 #110
Thank you very much, electric_blue68. We, as a family , didn't go out to eat ,period. But I did with my friends and debm55 Feb 2025 #115
I'd say Pizza Inn as a kid... same thing as a Pizza Hut. OldBaldy1701E Feb 2025 #112
Well, thank you very much, OldBaldy1701E . And hats off to you Grandma Baldy. You made a great tribute to her. debm55 Feb 2025 #113
My father had a huge aversion to fried food. Diamond_Dog Feb 2025 #114
Thank you Diamond_Dog. Same here. K-Mart hoagies were supposed to be a treat. I would take all the mystery meat off and debm55 Feb 2025 #117
We were the same Diamond_Dog Feb 2025 #124
You are from Pittsburgh??????? Fish on Friday, Sticks and Patties. (Catholic here too) Somes we would order shrimp debm55 Feb 2025 #131
Ha ha no not from Pittsburgh Diamond_Dog Feb 2025 #133
thank you for understanding. Diamond_Dog. debm55 Feb 2025 #135
A&W root beer kozar Feb 2025 #118
Thank you kozar. I am not a root beer fan , but I loved their floats. debm55 Feb 2025 #120
I didnt drink the root beer kozar Feb 2025 #150
Thank you kozar, was a little confused on my part. I heard they are good. Never had one but heard alot about them. debm55 Feb 2025 #151
Tucker's Hot Tamale Cart AnnaLee Feb 2025 #121
What a wonderful tribute to Tucker'sHotTamale Cart. It sounds great and my mouth is watering. Thank you AnnaLee. debm55 Feb 2025 #126
Wetsons - fast food hamburger chain Jim__ Feb 2025 #128
Thank you Jim__ I read the article. very interesting. Question is--which was better, Wetson's or McDonalds"? debm55 Feb 2025 #136
Our first fast food joint was called Geno's. They had something like a big Mac before McDonald's. Walleye Feb 2025 #129
Thank you very much Walleye. Why no Pizza places? debm55 Feb 2025 #134
I didn't (and don't) like to "go" anywhere. But Mom always brought home McDonald's after payday. malthaussen Feb 2025 #130
Thank you very much Mal. I liked them too, Now I get a regular cheeseburger. Used to eat the Big Mac. Haven't had one in debm55 Feb 2025 #132
H. Salt Fish & Chips (in the early 70s) .....delicious...wish they were still around walkingman Feb 2025 #152
Thank you walkingman. I remember them to when my friends went to the mall. Really liked them. debm55 Feb 2025 #153
Royal Castle The Blue Flower Feb 2025 #154
Thank you The Blue Flower. We called them the White Tower--same as you square bun, square burger and diced onions. debm55 Feb 2025 #155
gotta go younger. zarder's for the too thick marts. i think they had thin crinkle frys. pansypoo53219 Feb 2025 #156
Thank you pansypoo53219. debm55 Feb 2025 #160
i forgot wongs wok at the mall. they just closed their last place. pansypoo53219 Feb 2025 #162
Thank you pansypoo53219 debm55 Feb 2025 #164
Tastee Treat. They served a type of loose meat sandwich that was outstanding yellowdogintexas Feb 2025 #157
Thank you very much yellowdogintexas. debm55 Feb 2025 #161
1950s... oldsoldierfadingfast Feb 2025 #163
Thank you very much oldsoldierfadingfast. You sound like you really enjoyed them both and welcome to DU debm55 Feb 2025 #165
When I was a kid there weren't any. soldierant Feb 2025 #166
Thank you very much soldierant. I didn't know Kroc bought them out. debm55 Feb 2025 #168
YVW. I had to look up the dates myself. soldierant Feb 2025 #169

debm55

(48,797 posts)
3. Thank you very much happybird. We didn't have any in my area. When I went to college.they had a Roy Rogers.
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:44 PM
Feb 2025

Deuxcents

(23,266 posts)
2. Howard Johnson's..my parents treated us to an ice cream cone after a day at the beach
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:42 PM
Feb 2025

Every once in a while we’d go to A&W for a frosted mug of root beer

debm55

(48,797 posts)
9. Thank you Deuxcents. I only remember them from the PA turnpike. My husband said they were all over the place in MA, He
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:47 PM
Feb 2025

always talks about the Ice Cream cones.

regnaD kciN

(27,199 posts)
24. I'm not sure Howard Johnson's qualifies as "fast food"...
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:31 PM
Feb 2025

…seeing as they were more of a family restaurant. But they were, indeed, all over Massachusetts, and my parents and I regularly visited their Wellesley location in the ‘70s for the clam roll platter.

SheltieLover

(72,148 posts)
4. Too many... lol
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:44 PM
Feb 2025

A hot dog place where hot dogs were 50 cents, K of C for deep fried cod, vinegar slaw, & fries are 2 that immediately come to mind. Oh, & a dairy for ice cream cones. The dairy frequently had the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile visiting. Lol. Drove folks nuts with those little weenie whistles.

Super yummy!

Funny, I was just thinking of these places this afternoon.

wcmagumba

(4,462 posts)
5. Peter Pan Ice Cream Store, they had great burgers and fries too...
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:45 PM
Feb 2025
This was in small town KS.

wcmagumba

(4,462 posts)
29. A&W Drive In...
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 10:15 PM
Feb 2025

This is my second entry but my little KS town had one of these too. Papa and Mamma and Teen Burgers with fries or rings were excellent. But the Root Beer Floats made it into fast food heaven....

Permanut

(7,389 posts)
6. Yaw's Portland Oregon..
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:45 PM
Feb 2025

I grew up in a Happy Days/American Graffiti world. Yaw's was the place to go with my '56 Chevy, and drive around and around the block with the other hotrodders. There was a Portland cop monitoring the situation, and he handed our tootsie rolls as we drove by R.I.P Bob Svila.

Luciferous

(6,459 posts)
7. When I was in high school my
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:45 PM
Feb 2025

boyfriend and I would go to McDonald's several times a week for lunch. I also liked Taco Bell, but that's because I worked there and got free food 😂

hlthe2b

(110,810 posts)
10. I do remember "HoJos" (Howard Johnsons) but also Shrimp Boats (some of those structures are still around
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:47 PM
Feb 2025

but taken over by other fast-food restaurants. They were shaped sort of like a shrimp boat appropriately enough. My sister and I loved fried shrimp as kids and those offered some pretty inexpensive offerings. There was also Shakey's pizza which had a great shrimp pizza as one of their offerings (yeah, we loved shrimp)... LOL

debm55

(48,797 posts)
63. Thank you hlthe2b. That shrimp boat place sounds great. Wish we had one around here. Love shrimp, too.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 10:54 AM
Feb 2025

ultralite001

(1,903 posts)
12. As a kid... we could get nickel tacos at a little store a bike's ride from our house...
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:50 PM
Feb 2025

We'd ride around picking up discarded glass bottles...
Redeem them at the little store... + buy lip-smacking tacos
made while we watched...

We could also get strawberry shortcake from the Japanese family's
strawberry farm when berries were in season... yumm!!!

ultralite001

(1,903 posts)
148. 50+ years later...
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 05:39 PM
Feb 2025

Strawberry shortcake still floats my boat...

+ killer tacos steal my ❤❤❤ away...

I just remembered the little abuela who lived next door... Kids would line up in the morning on their way to school... She would
hand off fresh grilled tortillas w/ a smear of butter to each child on their way to school... So good...

Bmoboy

(513 posts)
15. Harley's
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 08:56 PM
Feb 2025

Baltimore sandwich shop run by Harley Brinsfield, a jazz nut who also had a nighttime jazz radio show.

The Original or the chicken salad were to die for.

doc03

(38,179 posts)
22. I think the Elias Brothers also owned Elby's in WV, Western PA
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:17 PM
Feb 2025

and Ohio. We still have Frishes Big Boy around Columbus.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
69. Thank you very much doc03. We had Big Boy and a similiar place called Eat and Park. Eat and Park is still around.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:28 AM
Feb 2025

doc03

(38,179 posts)
79. There was aa Eat & Park Big Boy in Washington PA.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:52 AM
Feb 2025

Well I think the Eat & Park is still there. There is one in St. Clairsville OH near me.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
144. Thank you doc03. There was one in Bethel Park. They had the misfortune of placing the Big Boy in the grass in the front
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 04:20 PM
Feb 2025

of the building. Needless to say the Big Boy was stolen.

Freddie

(9,917 posts)
17. Gino's
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:01 PM
Feb 2025

A Pennsylvania (and Maryland I think) chain that went under many years ago. Great burgers and KFC in one place. 🎶 Everybody goes to Gino’s, cause Gino’s is the place to go 🎶

BlueKota

(4,435 posts)
18. We used to eat mostly at local diners or bar & grills.
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:01 PM
Feb 2025

when I was a kid, but I remember Carrols Hamburgers was the first fast food place that opened here. They had good hamburgers, but closed down pretty quickly once McDonald's came in.

Neither's hamburgers could compare though to the ones made at the bar and grills. A cook at one of them would season them just perfectly and put on mustard and finely chopped onions. Then after he retired we started going to a different place and the owner's wife convinced me to try a hamburger with her signature tomato sauce on it. It was love at first bite. I miss those days. We used to know most all the local business owners and they knew us.

NBachers

(18,762 posts)
20. Carroll's Hamburgers in Western New York. I sure would love to travel back in time and stop in one again. The days of 15
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:09 PM
Feb 2025

cent hamburgers.

If there was still a real one open, it would be mobbed.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
50. OH. The one I went to had the space age design too. Yes, 15 cent burgers. No eat in. Ordered your food and ate in the
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 09:39 AM
Feb 2025

car. Thank you NBachers for bringing back memories.

some_of_us_are_sane

(1,652 posts)
23. In Pittsburgh
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:24 PM
Feb 2025

in the early 1960's. during summer vacation we'd swim everyday at 'The Fort' public swimming pool, then on the way home we'd stop at Bard's Dairy Store and I'd get an orange sherbert Frosty (like a thick sherbert milkshake) and a 25 cent bag of barbeque potato chips. YUM!!!!

Dorothy V

(369 posts)
25. Way back when Victorville CA had less than 3,000 people ...
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:37 PM
Feb 2025

There was this place on the north side of town on the road to Oro Grande, but before you turned off to the road to George AFB. I don't recall its name and can't even remember a sign on it with a name. Just a gravel parking lot, a low stucco building with a window where you placed your order, and a string of bare yellow light bulbs. A place that looked like it would have to go some to qualify as a greasy spoon. But they had the BEST TACOS EVER! Drippy, greasy, and Big! Dad never let us eat them in the car (we never got to eat anything in the car), but we'd spread an old blanket over the trunk of the car and sit on it to eat them.
Nowadays I am not sure such a place is even possible.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
46. Thank you very much for sharing, WmChris. I only remember one drive in and it no longer around.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 09:30 AM
Feb 2025

underpants

(191,721 posts)
27. Wendy's. We moved from Ohio to Virginia
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:44 PM
Feb 2025

We had no idea that a world existed without Wendy’s. No Pringle’s either

We waited, and it does, the world came to us.

House of Roberts

(6,140 posts)
28. A fast food place I liked back 50 years or so was Burger Chef.
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 09:54 PM
Feb 2025

Some might remember that chain.
Then there was a restaurant named Sno-White, that had a stand alone location plus a small lunch counter uptown on the North side of the courthouse square. The burgers were about the same as a Krystal burger. The one uptown was within walking distance of the public library and when we could get one of our mothers to drop us off at the library, we'd stash our books in a corner and walk down to get a snack. I remember that as about 7th to 8th grade when we did that.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
35. I remember Burger Chef. We didn't have a Sno-White but had a White Tower in Pittsburgh. Your story is funny about the
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 11:27 PM
Feb 2025

library.Thank you House of Roberts.

catbyte

(37,409 posts)
30. A & W Drive-In. It was the ONLY "fast food" place within 50 miles, lol.
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 10:44 PM
Feb 2025

We'd pull up in the Chrysler, a car hop would come and take our orders (usually a hamburger deluxe, fries, and a cold, frosty mug of root beer. Heaven on a warm summer evening.

Except the time my dad got a big piece of butcher paper in his burger. He was not amused.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
33. HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA. That sounds good. So sorry for your dad. Did you still go back there to eat?
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 11:22 PM
Feb 2025
Thanks catbyte

Xipe Totec

(44,358 posts)
34. El Greco
Mon Feb 17, 2025, 11:23 PM
Feb 2025

If you've never heard of it, I'm not surprised, and I feel sorry for you.

It was THE hangout for teens when I was a teen. It was not a chain, and it no longer exists.

boonecreek

(1,155 posts)
37. When I was a patrol boy in 8th grade .
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:11 AM
Feb 2025

It was a place called the Bob Inn Grill next to a bar by the same name.
Not really a fast food place but they had great burgers with a basket
full of fries.

wendyb-NC

(4,416 posts)
38. Carolls hamburgers
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:24 AM
Feb 2025

It was a chain, similar to McDonalds's. I grew up and lived in upstate NY. They opened in 1965 or 1966. I didn't go to any fast food till I was a senior in HS. They were less expensive than McDonalds, and their milk shakes were really good. I think they have gone out of business.

Initech

(105,771 posts)
39. The Original Tommy's!
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:32 AM
Feb 2025

Oh man I could sure go for one of those grease bombs right now!

debm55

(48,797 posts)
56. I remember Winky:s. If I remember correctly There was no place to eat inside. Thank you Earl_from_PA
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 10:06 AM
Feb 2025

surrealAmerican

(11,669 posts)
51. Friendly's
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 09:40 AM
Feb 2025

Their burgers were nothing special, but you could get a hot fudge sundae for desert, with cherry ice cream!

marble falls

(67,162 posts)
53. Chet O'Keely's in Barberton, Ohio. Chey was a half punch drunk ex-boxer. The place was a dive ...
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 09:58 AM
Feb 2025

... The burger was unbelievable good.

If not there, Bob's Burghers from the seventies, before the yuppies discovered it. Or the Blue Fame. Or the Flagpole, the original Bob's Big Boy or, jeez, how could I forget a Swenson's, dragged through the garden - even my vegetarian friends had to have one once in a while .......

Diamond_Dog

(37,790 posts)
54. Marble ... it's not fast food, but have you ever had Barberton Chicken? I have not but I hear raves over it.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 10:05 AM
Feb 2025

marble falls

(67,162 posts)
64. You mean Milich's Village Inn, Belgrade Gardens, Hopican Gardens, the White House - ...
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 10:58 AM
Feb 2025

... Nevah hoid of 'em. Once a week for almost twenty years. Hot sauce. There was a place that I loved, small and I can't remember their name, close to Village and Hopican Gardens that had popperkosh.

There was a road on Wadsworth Rd call the Trockadiro, that had good burgers and chicken.

Marigold

(230 posts)
55. Gino's Hamburgers
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 10:05 AM
Feb 2025

I think it was a mid-atlantic franchise. They had a competitor to the Big Mac called the Gino's Giant.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
145. Thank you Marigold. I remember a Gino's here in Pittsburgh, But it didn't last long.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 04:26 PM
Feb 2025

lark

(25,291 posts)
61. A&W Root Beer
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 10:28 AM
Feb 2025

A&W Root Beer stands - they had the best root beer floats and burgers and were cheap. They are long gone from here. I also loved Dairy Queen and there was one a couple of miles away! The A&W was much further away.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
78. Thank you very much . Lark.. I remember the A&W stands. Never ate there though. Still have a Dairy Queen here.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:51 AM
Feb 2025

RazorbackExpat

(533 posts)
77. My friend and his dad would sometimes treat me
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:51 AM
Feb 2025

to a sundae at the locally-owned Dairy Delight. Later. Mr. Quick came to town, offering hamburgers @19c in 1971

debm55

(48,797 posts)
98. Thank you very much RazorbackExpat. That was very kind of them. So Mr. Quick was the burger joint? 19 cents for a
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:53 PM
Feb 2025

burger was very good.

RazorbackExpat

(533 posts)
158. Mr. Quick had a great location, too
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 04:37 AM
Feb 2025

Right across the street from the high school. But it didn't last long, for some reason

RazorbackExpat

(533 posts)
167. We also had a Dog 'n Suds for a while
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 09:59 AM
Feb 2025

I still vaguely remember one of their commercials:

"It was a hot afternoon in Springfield. The "troops" (kids) were hungry and thirsty. Then their "leader" (dad) uttered those immortal words....

(in a Milton the Monster voice)
'Six root beers. Six Coney dogs'"

1968 or thereabouts

dwp6577

(116 posts)
80. Frisko Freeze
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:57 AM
Feb 2025

Tacoma, WA 98403
Landmark quick-serve spot with retro style & a choice of drive-thru or walk-up ordering.

LoisB

(11,185 posts)
81. There weren't any "fast food" places where I lived as a child/teen. We went to the soda
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:58 AM
Feb 2025

fountain at the local pharmacy or to the hoagie shop.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
95. I went to the local pharmacy and would get real milk shakes and the orange crackers with peanut butter inside. TY LoisB
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:46 PM
Feb 2025

samnsara

(18,591 posts)
82. starting in jr hi my walk to/from school was over a mile long...
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 11:59 AM
Feb 2025

..along the way there was a corner drive in had the BEST tacos with tons of shredded cheese. I think they were about 35 cents.

mwmisses4289

(1,649 posts)
84. Dairy Queen
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:05 PM
Feb 2025

Pizza hut, and a mom and pop taco place. All long gone, the dq is currently a wine bar, the pizza hut is a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah bar, and the taco place was torn down.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
91. Sad isn't it? The best places during your youth in your area are gone.Thank you mwmisses4289
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:30 PM
Feb 2025

Last edited Tue Feb 18, 2025, 04:03 PM - Edit history (1)

debm55

(48,797 posts)
139. I have answered the question wrong. I should have said in the posters area. as I have one here. I'll fix.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 04:01 PM
Feb 2025

debm55

(48,797 posts)
90. Yummy. Thank you very much justaprogressive. Loved the Black Cow, but not a root beer fan.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:28 PM
Feb 2025

ProfessorGAC

(73,761 posts)
97. Italian Place About A Mile From Our House
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 12:51 PM
Feb 2025

Was called Pastori's.
One of those joints where the family lived upstairs and the restaurant was on the first floor.
Looked kind if like Louie's from The Godfather where Michael shot Sollozzo.
They closed when I was in 7th or 8th grade. None of the kids wanted to take over the business, so when mom & dad wanted to retire, they just closed the joint. There were always people eating there, from noon until close.
Lots of people were bummed when they closed. There was some surprise that somebody wasn't willing to buy the place, recipes and all, but that didn't happen.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
109. Thank you ProfessorGAC. They say the restaurant business has the highest turn around for closing. Thank you for sharing
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 01:49 PM
Feb 2025

About Pastori;s

debm55

(48,797 posts)
106. Thank you pdxflyboy. I think someone else mentioned a Carroll's Hamburger. They must have been good.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 01:40 PM
Feb 2025

LakeArenal

(29,949 posts)
103. Dairy Queen was very nearby.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 01:30 PM
Feb 2025

We had a drive in called Gilles (pronounced Gill eeezzz)
Still there, still great.

Tuckers Twofers was a great place too.

greatauntoftriplets

(178,005 posts)
108. The Morris Barbeque in Elgin, IL, about 40 miles from Chicago.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 01:45 PM
Feb 2025
https://www.facebook.com/groups/64466548496/

My grandmother lived in Elgin, and this was a frequent stop when we went to visit her. It's been gone for many years.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
123. Thank you very much, greatauntoftriplets. I went to the Facebook site you listed. The Roaster was outside. It looks some
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:53 PM
Feb 2025

places of my youth. That's nice they have a site for it.

greatauntoftriplets

(178,005 posts)
125. I was surprised that there wasn't more information on it.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:57 PM
Feb 2025

It had a great reputation back in the day.

electric_blue68

(22,675 posts)
110. I don't think we ever went out for dinner at a fast food place. We'd stop at Dairy Queen if we were visiting our...
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 01:53 PM
Feb 2025

cousins in NJ.
Carvel in NYC.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
115. Thank you very much, electric_blue68. We, as a family , didn't go out to eat ,period. But I did with my friends and
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:16 PM
Feb 2025

Extended family. Never went to nice places either. Big treat for us, is when my mother bought hoagies from K' Mart

OldBaldy1701E

(8,476 posts)
112. I'd say Pizza Inn as a kid... same thing as a Pizza Hut.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:00 PM
Feb 2025

As a teen, I preferred Wendy's. They had this food bar at the time. It was good for the price.

But, nothing beat my father's mother. Grandma Baldy was a far better cook than any restaurant! Her Chicken Salad and her biscuits were famous around the county!

debm55

(48,797 posts)
113. Well, thank you very much, OldBaldy1701E . And hats off to you Grandma Baldy. You made a great tribute to her.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:10 PM
Feb 2025

Diamond_Dog

(37,790 posts)
114. My father had a huge aversion to fried food.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:13 PM
Feb 2025

I don’t ever remember our family ever getting anything from a fast food or burger joint. On rare occasions when he was working late my mother took my sister and me to a little drive-in called the Yum Yum. There was no seating inside, you got your food from the drive-up window, parked, and ate in your car.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
117. Thank you Diamond_Dog. Same here. K-Mart hoagies were supposed to be a treat. I would take all the mystery meat off and
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:27 PM
Feb 2025

have a salad sandwich. In fact, with my family we never went out -fast foods or family style . When I was a teenager I went out with my friends. I never went out until I was in college.Their thing was why eat out when it could be made at home. We did go to a place called Isaly to get ice cream cones.

Diamond_Dog

(37,790 posts)
124. We were the same
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:57 PM
Feb 2025

Except on Fridays we went out sometimes to eat fish because we were Catholic (although I never saw my dad set foot in a church, my mother always took us) but he loved fish so he was willing to take us for our Friday fish dinners. Back then nobody ever cooked fish at home that I recall, except Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks. Lol. I feel the same way as you about the cheap waxy looking lunch meat they used to put in those already prepared hoagies and I was the oddball that didn’t like Isaly’s chipped-chopped ham.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
131. You are from Pittsburgh??????? Fish on Friday, Sticks and Patties. (Catholic here too) Somes we would order shrimp
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 03:23 PM
Feb 2025

dinners from the local bar. But we never ate there. We packed lunches when we went to Kennywood or Idlewild Park. Heck when I graduated from Penn State, they brough jumbo sandwiches with yellow mustard and we ate on the grass. Long story short. my parents had very good money.They just didn't want to spend it .Sorry for venting.After paying my entire way through college. I thought at the time I should have gotten more then a jumbo sammie. Heck, at least they didn't bring KMare hoagies.

Diamond_Dog

(37,790 posts)
133. Ha ha no not from Pittsburgh
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 03:40 PM
Feb 2025

I grew up in Warren OH (NE Ohio) which isn’t too far from you. We were half Cleveland (dad’s side) and half western PA (mom’s side) if that makes any sense. Don’t apologize for venting. My parents could be a real trip sometimes too.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
151. Thank you kozar, was a little confused on my part. I heard they are good. Never had one but heard alot about them.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 06:04 PM
Feb 2025

AnnaLee

(1,283 posts)
121. Tucker's Hot Tamale Cart
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:48 PM
Feb 2025

I loved hot tamales as a kid. Since this business was a cart that was rolled around downtown at night, you found the cart, bought the tamales and took them home to eat. Years later, the owner of the business set up a permanent location, retired and left his children running the business. [Hot tamales are not quite the same as Mexican tamales. They are much smaller, usually hot (but not flaming), but are still a meat filling covered with cornmeal mush]. What a wonderful flavor. I moved away from the Mississippi Delta after college and haven't had one since. It is the only food I would like to have before I die. So, "they are to die for".

debm55

(48,797 posts)
126. What a wonderful tribute to Tucker'sHotTamale Cart. It sounds great and my mouth is watering. Thank you AnnaLee.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 02:59 PM
Feb 2025

debm55

(48,797 posts)
136. Thank you Jim__ I read the article. very interesting. Question is--which was better, Wetson's or McDonalds"?
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 03:47 PM
Feb 2025

Walleye

(41,549 posts)
129. Our first fast food joint was called Geno's. They had something like a big Mac before McDonald's.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 03:04 PM
Feb 2025

We didn’t even have a pizza place in Dover when I was growing up, but we had sub shops and cheesesteaks

malthaussen

(18,192 posts)
130. I didn't (and don't) like to "go" anywhere. But Mom always brought home McDonald's after payday.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 03:18 PM
Feb 2025

Loved the Quarter Pounders, but they've ruined them like everything else. I won't touch them now.

-- Mal

debm55

(48,797 posts)
132. Thank you very much Mal. I liked them too, Now I get a regular cheeseburger. Used to eat the Big Mac. Haven't had one in
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 03:36 PM
Feb 2025

a long time.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
153. Thank you walkingman. I remember them to when my friends went to the mall. Really liked them.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 06:15 PM
Feb 2025

debm55

(48,797 posts)
155. Thank you The Blue Flower. We called them the White Tower--same as you square bun, square burger and diced onions.
Tue Feb 18, 2025, 07:13 PM
Feb 2025

pansypoo53219

(22,439 posts)
162. i forgot wongs wok at the mall. they just closed their last place.
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 11:42 AM
Feb 2025

even as a kid i thought mc ds crap. except the hot cherry pies. did like popeyes for art school school lunch. tho i preferred the french roil + salad. then chick f let instead. lunch at gay bar best. i think i was the only student to eat at the gay bar. they had great fries + soups. then the italian chicken breast on a croissant.
my paternal grandma cooked better food. i always was a picky kid.

yellowdogintexas

(23,375 posts)
157. Tastee Treat. They served a type of loose meat sandwich that was outstanding
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 02:15 AM
Feb 2025

Also they had the best soft serve ice cream I have ever tasted.

This was in Kentucky. The bags the burgers were in had a map showing our location with big arrows pointing to Nebraska where there were a few more of them. I have never been able to find out if those other locations still exist.

We figured this place may have been started by a WW II GI who was based at Ft Campbell and decided to settle there after the war. However it happened we enjoyed the place.

163. 1950s...
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 03:25 PM
Feb 2025

we had two places. Sealtest and one, near my home (named for local owner) that had skaters as servers.
At both places - Hot dogs - 10 cents, burgers - 15 cents; price went up to 15 and 25 cents just before I graduated HS.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
165. Thank you very much oldsoldierfadingfast. You sound like you really enjoyed them both and welcome to DU
Wed Feb 19, 2025, 04:10 PM
Feb 2025

soldierant

(8,774 posts)
166. When I was a kid there weren't any.
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 01:45 AM
Feb 2025

Ray Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers in 1961. I was already a senior in high school and heading for college. By the time I ever went to a fast food place I was well over 21.

soldierant

(8,774 posts)
169. YVW. I had to look up the dates myself.
Thu Feb 20, 2025, 05:50 PM
Feb 2025

I really just remember McDonald's being a new thing when I was a young adult - and that it was something new - it was the first.

Latest Discussions»The DU Lounge»When you were a kid/teen ...