Vintage drive-ins

The above two photos are from the mid-1940s. The photo below is of the same restaurant in May 1984. That's actually me at the far right in the light blue jacket and dark pants leaning against the gold-colored 1979 Mazda Miata. I was 27 at the time. (I'm not 27 now.)

Don and Bob's (now Don's Original) was and is located in the Seabreeze area of Rochester, New York.





Here's an August 2016 Google street view of Don's Original. This is 32 years after the 1984 photo above, and Don't has been in business in one form or another in the same location for at least 75 years.

Note the differences. No more parking in front or along the right side (as we view it). A wide sidewalk now separates the street from where are now picnic tables, and a grassy area has replaced some of the pavement on the right side, leaving only a narrow area for more picnic tables. A little sunporch/side room has been added to the right side to provide more indoor seating. My guess is that the wide sidewalk was added as a result of some reconfiguring of the roads around there, and, with the sidewalk in the way, cars could no longer park right in front.

The big "Don's Original" sign is pretty much unchanged, although I'd be surprised if it hasn't received a repainting at some point along the way.

 

Penfield, NY, suburb of Rochester.

 

That's really cool...I love kitschy architecture like that.

 

Looking at these photos, while enjoying my lunch from A&W

 

Lucky Bahstidge. The 'A&W' we have in Everett is one of those combo ones, in this case, KFC. Bleh.

 

Ours is a combo too. But they recently remolded it and it's quite retro inside. I like it.
The only thing I find annoying is they got rid of the A&W root beer tap. Now it comes from the same machine as all of the other pop.

 

That really sucks, because you definitely could tell the difference between it and, say Fanta or Barq's swill, and didn't want to get the wrong one. Is the concentration messed with?

 

I don't know. It sure seems like it tasted better coming out of the tap, but it's probly all psychological.
There was still an original A&W operating in Toppenish when I was in High School. But not long after that the franchise left. It's still in operation, but under the name of "Dad's"

 

I know the tap at the S. Everett one dispensed correct-ratio root beer, as I also drink A&W from bottles, and it'd the same.