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Local ‘mom and pop’ burger joints offer nostalgic atmosphere, homemade treats
Roxanne Cooke
Today, a burger and fries from a fast food restaurant is usually just a quick meal on the go. But decades ago, families drove to the local A&W Drive In to celebrate. In the 1950s, teens quickly turned Sumner’s Dairy Freeze into a local hangout.
Though many independent burger joints have faded into history, a few continue to exist in the Puyallup and Sumner area. Locals keep coming back for more of that nostalgic feeling — not to mention the homemade soup and pies made from local ingredients.
A&W Drive In, East Main, Puyallup
They weren’t waitresses. They were “car hops.”
So says Susan Albert, former car hop for the old A&W Drive In on East Main. An office building for Girard Wood Products stands there now.
As a car hop in 1961, Albert took and filled orders for customers who drove up to the A&W. She still remembers the heavy trays and solid frosted mugs. Her outfit consisted of orange Bermuda shorts, a white top, brown shoes and an apron. Her pay: $1 an hour, plus tips.
“It was a true drive-in,” she said. “The root beer was good, and the hamburgers were really popular.”
A&W was more than just burgers, though. For one, the name gives away its specialty: root beer. Fresh soup, chili and homemade pies — banana cream, berry and apple — were other popular offerings.
And driving to the A&W felt more like an event than a quick and easy meal.
“People came as part of a celebration,” Albert said. “I always thought that was kind of neat.”
Albert, who now lives in Wenatchee, was one of several high school girls working for the A&W at the time. Virginia Heath, one of six owners, had rules for the girls: They couldn’t go home after work with a boy unless she approved, and they must be on the honor roll at school.
“I do remember that it was very structured,” Albert recalled.
The A&W originally opened in 1953, according to a Pierce County Herald article published in 1994. It was located downtown until Heath and her husband, Albert’s parents and Jay and Bonnie Gordon moved it to East Main in 1961.
When the owners of the downtown A&W lost the building lease in a lawsuit, then-attorney Doug Albert was paid with the equipment and the franchise name, said Heath, 76.
The Heaths, Alberts and Gordons went in on the deal together, purchasing land on East Main to construct a new A&W building.
“It was an investment,” Heath said.
At her burger joint, meat and other products were purchased locally and root beer was made in giant vats on-site.
“You might call it a mom and pop operation,” she said. “I put in 10 or 12 hours a day. You name it, I did it.”
Customers drove all the way from Tacoma just for a root beer, Heath said.
The three couples ran the A&W for a year, then sold it. Eventually it closed in 1994, was sold to Girard and reconstructed into an office building soon after.
“That was an era of the beginning of drive-ins,” Heath said. “It was a lot of work, but when you’re young, who cares?”
Don’s Drive In, 925 South Meridian
In 1967, a Smitty burger from The Viking cost two dimes.
Today, the restaurant is called Don’s Drive In and its Smitty burger — a large beef patty on a French roll — is $3.50.
“It’s unreal to think of those prices today,” said owner Ken Burkhammer.
Don’s Drive In has had its share of changes over the years. It opened in 1967 on Meridian, but a year later the owners moved the building to River Road. The name changed to Don’s when a young couple purchased the restaurant and named it after the husband.
The Burkhammers bought Don’s in 1994 but moved it back to Meridian after Toyota purchased the land where it had been located. This time, Don’s Drive In was moved to a different building, but remained close to its original location.
Before that move, Burkhammer said he was tempted to retire, but the thought of operating a restaurant on Meridian was too good an opportunity to pass up. Plus, he was already retired from the U.S. Army and wanted something to do.
Even after he suffered a stroke last year, Burkhammer can still be found at Don’s on a regular basis. He doesn’t work as much, but he keeps up with regulars. His wife, Min, and their son and daughter have taken over most of the restaurant duties.
“I’m here to see the customers,” he said.
Most of their regulars are older locals, Burkhammer said, but there’s also a good crowd of young people. Business has boomed since their move to Meridian.
Traffic from the Puyallup Fair and Events Center provides a steady stream of customers, but the family closes up shop during The Fair in September to work on the building.
“Fair traffic makes a big difference,” Burkhammer said.
As for food, Don’s offers a range of burgers, fries, homemade soup and pie. Most are made from local ingredients.
“I try to buy everything local,” said Burkhammer, who was born in West Virginia. “It’s the way I grew up.”
Pies made from valley berries are a particularly popular dessert at Don’s, he added.
“Those just go out the door,” Burkhammer said. “There’s no comparison.”
This summer, Don’s Drive In is now offering breakfast starting at 6:30 a.m. Bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast are just a few items on the new menu.
Employees have a chance to enjoy the food because they receive a free meal each day they work. They also aren’t required to clock out for their lunch break. In exchange, the tip jar is untouched, the money instead going to local fundraisers and food banks.
Don’s raises thousands every year, Burkhammer said.
“It’s a much more personal touch,” he said. “It’s a nice community thing.”
But Burkhammer sees burger joints such as his fading into the background. Nowadays he believes the slumping economy has made it difficult to start up an independent restaurant.
“Independents are definitely a dying breed,” he said. “We treat each person for who they are. That’s what sets us apart.”
Main Street Dairy Freeze, 1402 Main Street, Sumner
When Sumner’s Dairy Freeze opened in the early 1950s, it quickly became the place to be for teens.
It’s easy to see why: The Dairy Freeze was built across the street from Sumner High School and the former middle school.
“They didn’t need to advertise,” said longtime resident and former mayor Barbara Skinner. “It was the best place to work when you were in high school. It was the premiere job to get.”
Though Skinner didn’t work at the Dairy Freeze, it was a first job for her oldest son, who is now 50.
Back then, mostly teens filled the seats at the Dairy Freeze. Today, it’s young families, said current owner Delores Qualey.
Qualey, her husband Paul and her son Alan have operated the restaurant since 2003. Though it began as a franchise, Dairy Freezes around the country are now independently owned.
The Qualeys purchased the property as a business investment, but soon discovered they wanted to give the restaurant business a try.
“This opportunity came up and it sounded kind of exciting,” Qualey said.
But soon after opening, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. That experience created a close family bond, and her children and their friends all pitched in to help run the restaurant while she went through treatment, which turned out a success.
“It was kind of a crazy time,” she said. “Everybody kind of joined together.”
The family ran the Dairy Freeze as a coffee and ice cream shop at first, but encouragement by the community convinced them to return to its roots: burgers, hand-cut fries, hot dogs and milkshakes.
Within six months, the Dairy Freeze was serving those items. The transformation continued over the years: Coffee was eventually phased out save for drip coffee, and now there are more than a dozen milkshake flavors, including peanut butter and jelly.
“It kind of evolved,” Qualey said.
Now there’s soft serve and hard pack ice cream, chicken burgers and even candy. The black-and-white tiled flooring is the original, but the family added the metallic red vinyl seating iconic of a classic burger joint.
Often customers come in wanting a very specific item from the menu, she said. In general, it seems that people want food with more character than a typical fast food restaurant can offer.
“It’s just really a different dining experience,” Qualey said.
Most of their produce, milk and meat products are bought locally from companies such as Smithco Meats in Sumner.
“As much as we can, we shop local,” she said.
When the Main Street Fred Meyer development went in a few years back, the Qualeys were concerned about the competition from several new restaurants, but it turned out to help rather than hinder, Qualey said. It keeps people in Sumner because there are more options.
“I think it’s probably increased our business,” she said. “It’s just another option.”
The Dairy Freeze is also an option for teens looking for a first job, Qualey said. The fast-paced environment, interaction with customers and handling of food and money are all skills transferable to college and life in general.
She’s seen timid teens come away more self-confident after learning and utilizing those skills.
Those teens can usually be found filling orders in jeans and a Dairy Freeze T-shirt. Qualey said she’s relaxed uniform rules because of the environment they work in. Grease stains can happen easily in a place that serves up burgers and fries.
“You could walk away smelling like a burger joint,” she said.