Since all of our vacation plans have been thrown out the window due to COVID-19, it has inspired us to roam close to home for the last several months. What we’ve discovered are tons of new things to do and explore, including visiting the many drive-in restaurants or carhops around Indiana. They’re social-distance friendly since you can stay in your car the entire time (many also have outdoor seating) and there is limited contact.
These blasts from the past make for fun weekend road trips (they are destinations in and of themselves) and can satisfy the need for fair-type food since there are no fairs or carnivals this summer (corn dogs, anyone?).
My sons and I have been checking out drive-in restaurants all over Indiana — from cities to rural locations – during the COVID-19 months. I have no desire to eat in a restaurant right now, so it has been fun to experience something nostalgic that their grandparents and great-grandparents did for fun decades ago, and imagine for a minute that we’ve gone back in time. It might be a leap to go from sitting in a black Honda mini-van listening to 80’s hits on the radio to a turquoise Ford Fairlane convertible and Chubby Checker, but we try.
Drive-in or carhop restaurants came into popularity in the 1920s when more and more cars were on the road and convenience became more important. Plus, since cars were somewhat novelty items, people wanted to stay in their cars to eat instead of getting out and going into restaurants.
I always imagine the carhop in Grease where women in roller skates would take your order from your car window. Some drive-up restaurants had intercoms so that you could call in your food. They’d bring your food on a tray that hooked on to your car window and then take away trash or any re-usable items like soda glasses or ice cream sundae bowls.
These iconic early fast-food eateries reached their peak popularity in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Many of them went by the wayside, as more popular drive-thru chain restaurants were established, but you can still find them in towns from Brunswick, Maine down to Southern California. Indiana is blessed to have a bunch of independent drive-ins all over the state — all with their own specialties and novelties.
Tips for visiting drive-in restaurants with kids:
- Food options can be limited and are definitely more carnivorous-eating oriented. We are not the biggest meat-eating family. While the boys will eat burgers, I don’t touch pork or beef, and eat mostly like a pescitarian, so many of these restaurants’ specialties like giant pork tenderloin sandwiches are not things we have tried. I have, however, had my fair share of fried mushrooms.
- We are also not huge foodies, so we’re not scared of a bunch of fried food as long as it tastes good. If your family has a more sophisticated palate, these may not be places for you. But most kids I know can’t pass up chicken nuggets, fries and a milkshake.
- While you can get everything from an omelet to fried chicken to chili at some of these restaurants if you’re going to stay and eat in the car, the food you can eat without utensils is much, much easier to eat without making a huge mess – I mean my minivan is already a disaster, but let’s not mash mac and cheese into the floorboards or send lettuce covered in salad dressing flying into the third row of seats, never to be seen again (maybe smelled, but not seen).
- Many of these restaurants are not ideal for the food allergy or food sensitive tribes. With vats of oil and cross-contamination, ice cream might be your safest bet at these stops.
- Empty your cup holders BEFORE you go. If you’re like me, there’s always a half-full water bottle or two, a Yeti with coffee from a few days ago and some action figures in your cup holders. (No? Just me?) Between drinks, shakes, malts and floats we have found ourselves running out of space to put them in, even with 11 cup holders and three people.
- Always order the specialty item (known for the best corn dogs, onion rings, root beer floats) or unusual items like pizza burgers, fried hot cheese or deep fried corn bites. Homemade pies are really high on our list of must-tries.
- Many of these meals are largely nutrition-free, and super greasy (it just doesn’t make sense to eat a salad at a place that has killer onion rings), so eat an apple or scarf down a triple berry smoothie before you go, if you worry about that kind of thing. A side of Lipitor or an antacid goes along way, too. I opt for a Ginger kombucha if I’ve eaten too much fried stuff and those probiotics eat up all the grease.
I hope these tips for visiting drive-in restaurants with kids might inspire you to take on your own quest to find the best French fries in the state or the place with the most pie choices. With a limited amount of places to go and things to do, taking a tour of these tastes of yesteryear has provided us with great weekend day trips, some happy tummies, and miles of memories.
