Round-Up Drive-In, Las Vegas, NV.
Dutch Mill Farm Restaurant, Annapolis, MD.
The Flame & Adams Restaurant, Rawlin, WY.
Paradise Restaurant, Sylvania, GA.
Joe Mackie’s Star Broiler and Red Bull Chuck Wagon, Winnemucca, NV.
Candy Land Restaurant, McDonough, GA.
Mrs. Rogers Restaurant, Claxton, GA.
Huck Finn’s Restaurant, Flagstaff, AZ.
Tony’s Place, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
These are all great, but Mrs. Rogers’ and Huck Finn’s are the kind of places that, if located here in Chicago, I’d be hopping on a bus to eat a meal at whatever is now occupying those buildings. Love that yellow ’73 Capri at the latter.
In the first pic, between the Caddy, Tbird and the Imperial out front, probably not a cheap burger joint!
Popular with tourists, and travellers of broader economic means, these style of family restaurants, simply could not compete over time with fast food chains. Some managed to remain in business many years, through hard working ownership and staff, good food and prices, plus a dedicated local customer base. As the pandemic did in, many lasting survivors.
Parking lots of these restaurants, were great for car spotting. Such a mix of people, ate in these places. Unique trailers, and motor homes too. Sad as a little kid, in the mid to late ’70s into the ’80s, when most of these eateries died en masse.
Excellent air conditioning, waiting to be seated, kid’s menus, milkshakes. Crowded eating areas. Hurried staff. Many memories of these style of restaurants, as a kid.
The Dutch Farm Mill restaurant (photo #2) building is still standing and it has some interesting history. I recall going there several times as a little kid growing up at that time in Baltimore, Maryland. It sits right on Route 50 which was (and is) the primary highway leading leading from Baltimore/Washington to Maryland’s eastern shore (ultimately, Ocean City, Rehoboth, etc.). My family actually favored going to Sandy Point State Park/Beach which sat right in the shadow of the Bay Bridge on the Western Shore of the Bay and was therefore an easier destination than braving many (many) more hours of bumper-to-bumper summer traffic to get all the way to Ocean City in the constantly overheating Plymouth or the pretty small (after containing a family of 4 for 5 or 6 hours) Simca. Anyhow, you’d drive right by the Dutch Mill Restaurant and perhaps sit in traffic for a while starring at it. Sometimes we’d stop. It was a landmark saying that we were almost to the beach; Sandy Point, at least.
Here’s some more reading about the place: http://delmarhistoricalandartsociety.blogspot.com/2020/11/sunday-dinner-at-dutch-mill-farm.html It apparently had some interesting history in the 1980s…and was ultimately turned into a BBQ place by (famous) Republican consultant Lee Atwater … which is what it remains today.
https://redhotandblue.com/annapolis-md/