Yesterday I posted about ten movies I liked. One I listed was “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. I had said that it was “a bit dated” and there was one thing that really stood out in that movie for me that brought back a lot of memories.

The character named Brad gets canned from All-American Burger for saying something I am sure many employees would love to say to an a-hole customer. He then goes to work at Captain Hook Fish ‘n’ Chips.

I found that part funny to watch since it was a dead ringer for Long John Silver’s when they first started. I remember when they opened up in Leavenworth, KS. It was actually nothing like it is now; it was a casual place that had a nautical theme inside – just like the movie poirtrayed. Everything was cooked to order (kinda like when McDonald’s actually cooked the food on-premises when you ordered it). You would walk up to the order area, tell them what you wanted, walk forward (much like Subway these days), they would grab your selection, dip in the batter and it was cooked to order fresh like that. You could see it happen. By the time you got to the register to pay your food was right out of the fryer. Then you would find a table and sit to enjoy your meal. They even had paper pirate hats.

Unfortunately they were purchased by a company that devolved it into the inedible greasepit that it is today…all in the pursuit of Lord Dollar. They did the same thing to A&W, Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell – they took the soul of these restaurants away.

When we were out cruising we were really at the tailend of the fad. Life was changing and cars were something many of us did not have the money, mechanical know-how or desire to invest in. There were other things to do – music, weed, avoiding the law.

A&W was THE hangout when everyone would go “cruising” in their cars to meet up with friends or show off your latest modifications (“Cruising” has acquired another meaning these days and we DEFINITELY were NOT doing that!). We would park our cars in the spaces, press the button, and order our food and an icy mug of root beer. Dine-in was an option but we were not into that; we wanted to hang out with friends on a nice summer night and be seen. Later on Sonic came along and we had another option.

It is interesting to see how Sonic tries to capture that era. Their marketing people really do a pretty decent job of it with the things they do, but times have changed. People don’t “cruise” as much (or at all) or “hang out” like that these days. We were at the tail-end of the hot rods parking to show off their wares, looking for a street race and the bragging rights of a winner.

But, people screw things up for themselves and others so there is no one else to blame. Fights, underage drinking, throwing trash on the ground, harassing the carhops bringing the food out….just being jerks. The fun came to a screeching halt because of a few idiots.

I remember when A&W started posting signs that you had to stay in your car, and that was the beginning of the end. Life is too fast-paced to just sit around like that with friends and trying to be seen; that is what social media has taken the place of.

But, those really were good times. Don’t really need to do it again (it will never be the same – you can’t go back), but we did have fun.

When I said they took the “soul” away look at any big fast food place now. They are soulless factories putting out fake, shitty food (if it can be called that), with a side of stomach aches and heart attacks. Being a foodie, that is why if I am going to eat out I find an old-school place that has been around a long time. The Cozy Inn in Salina, KS – a 6-seat place that sells sliders “by the bag” – is a great example – they opened in 1922. Christy’s Tasty Queen in KC that I posted about last week is another old-school place with great food. There are many if you dig a little.

These are the places that have that soul. These are the places yo want to eat at.

Just a quick visit to the past. See you next time.

Shawn