ABSTRACT
Intended for serving food and drink with a smile to customers seated in their cars, these flashy eateries quickly evolved into something else. They became recreation–the new meeting places of the 1950s and 1960s. Appearing directly after World War II along with other drive-in businesses, the restaurants, or more properly called, sandwich shops, proliferated in chains across the country. At first, families frequented them for a night out of hamburgers, french fries, and milk shakes. But that changed as restless teenagers drove from one drive-in to the next, often covering a hundred miles or more. They looked for friends, pick-ups, or trouble and usually found all three. Soon, police cars patrolled the drive-ins giving chase to rubber-burning disturbers of the peace. When motorcycle gangs drove in even the brash teenagers reverted to their best behavior. With families forced out and rowdies in command–who spent very little to keep the drive-ins going–the end was near.
