Last Wednesday, I drove to Modesto to check out some tiki locations I had never been to. (You can read about that HERE.) As I was making my way through town, I spied something that took me by complete surprise. It was an unexpected BONUS attraction, a vintage A&W drive-in with carhops. Good golly, Miss Molly! Once my tiki chores were done, I knew I had to return and check it out.
Clearly this must be "Papa Burger"?
Inside there were steps up to a small slide.
And a Pirate's Cove crawl-thru tunnel.
As badly rendered as it was, I also dug the iconic A&W symbol on the side of an out building.
It was almost mind-blowing seeing cars lined up to have their orders taken from speaker menus at an A&W. Wild!
On the other side of the parking lot, I discovered this old root beer-colored Packard.
Notice the license plate? "MR ANW". Clever.
I have no idea what "Pharoahs" means. I saw a reference to it inside the restaurant as well.
Except for the cool juke box, there wasn't much about the main dining room to get excited about.
In the souvenirs display case there were a few plaques and trophies, some toy cars and some A&W mugs. There was also the word "Pharoahs " written in red on the glass at the bottom and a silver plaque just behind it that said the same thing. Hmm.
This hallway looks like an add-on to a former outdoor order window area that has been converted to bar seating.
Paintings on the windows tried to stir up nostalgia for the 1950s.
This scene depicted the car hops on roller skates.
Before long, my window tray o' A&W goodness arrived. Yahoo!
The burger was huge. I was worried it would taste just as bad as the other A&W chains food I've had from time to time. Nope---this was better. It was not as good as the A&W in Florence, Oregon, but it was a heck of a lot better than the crap they serve at the Clovis branch.
I didn't realize there was carhop service until I actually pulled in...and saw the old speaker menus sticking out from the poles. How F-U-N!!!
When I was a kid, you ordered from a "family" of burgers. There was a Papa Burger, Mama Burger, Teen Burger and a Baby burger. The only thing still on the menu that I remember from my childhood is the Papa Burger, so I ordered a Papa Burger combo. When asked if I wanted my root beer in a frosty mug or a to-go cup, of course I asked for the mug.
While waiting for the food to be prepared and delivered, I got out of the car to get some pictures of the place. I was parked right in front of an outdoor seating area with a small playground, so that was my first stop.
Clearly this must be "Papa Burger"?
I wondered who this was supposed to be? Mama Burger? Teen Burger or, probably, Baby Burger? I wondered why they broke up the "Burger Family" and only retained Papa. Papa was a double decker burger. I'm not sure about the Mama Burger (perhaps a single?), but I think the Teen Burger had bacon on it. The Baby Burger was a small burger---like a McDonald's cheeseburger (or smaller?). I just Googled it and discovered there was also a Grandpa Burger and an Uncle Burger, too.
Across from the Burger Family figures was a child's playhouse.
Inside there were steps up to a small slide.
And a Pirate's Cove crawl-thru tunnel.
As badly rendered as it was, I also dug the iconic A&W symbol on the side of an out building.
It was almost mind-blowing seeing cars lined up to have their orders taken from speaker menus at an A&W. Wild!
On the other side of the parking lot, I discovered this old root beer-colored Packard.
Notice the license plate? "MR ANW". Clever.
I have no idea what "Pharoahs" means. I saw a reference to it inside the restaurant as well.
Except for the cool juke box, there wasn't much about the main dining room to get excited about.
The seating was too modern, not vintage enough.
In the souvenirs display case there were a few plaques and trophies, some toy cars and some A&W mugs. There was also the word "Pharoahs " written in red on the glass at the bottom and a silver plaque just behind it that said the same thing. Hmm.
It was neat to see that actual A&W glass mugs were still being used.
Paintings on the windows tried to stir up nostalgia for the 1950s.
Of course, the car hops that day were kind of chunky, middle-aged and not wearing roller skates. But they were also crammed into some rather hideous and not very form flattering pink T-shirts. Poor girls.
Before long, my window tray o' A&W goodness arrived. Yahoo!
The burger was huge. I was worried it would taste just as bad as the other A&W chains food I've had from time to time. Nope---this was better. It was not as good as the A&W in Florence, Oregon, but it was a heck of a lot better than the crap they serve at the Clovis branch.
There were even A&W lollipops for dessert.
Here is a cool little video that shows off this location well. Give it a watch.
Zowie! What a blast from the past! It's more than 60 years old. I'm so glad I happened upon it.
A&W
1404 G Street
Modesto, CA 95354
(209) 522-7700
Visit its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AWModesto/about/?ref=page_internal
CHEERS!
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