Lou’s Drive-In is alive and well
In a possible subconscious effort to make up for being Mr. Harpie a few nights ago, I thought it would be fun to eat lunch with my girls at Lou’s Drive-In.
They’ve never been to Lou’s, and I must admit, it has been way too long since I had visited myself. We parked and ordered at the counter before sitting down at one of the round cement tables. Entertainment abounds here, mainly in the form of people watching.
The clientele is very diverse and today included several families, a few motorcycles, some old guys sitting at the counter drinking rootbeer and reminiscing about days gone by, and pair of teenage boys checking out the waitstaff.
The food is what you would expect. Between the three of us we had a hot-dog, a cheeseburger, a chicken sandwich, and two orders of cheese fries. The hot-dog and cheeseburger got rave reviews and my chicken sandwich, with enough toppings and condiments, was passable. The fries were actually quite good, though I could’ve done without the cheese whiz in the plastic container.
As far as the service is concerned, there really wasn’t much. I was told by the lady behind the counter to just ask any of the girls if I needed anything. Trouble was, they were so busy gossiping, I couldn’t get their attention when I actually did need something, even though I was only five feet away.
No desert ever passes my girls by, so when it was time, we ordered a chocolate shake and a soft serve vanilla cone so tall that my daughters’ eyes just about popped out of her sockets in excitement. I’m not a desert kind of guy, but I could tell that the sweet treats were a big hit.
Even though the service was nearly non-existent and the food was only so-so, I’m sure to be back over the coming summer months if only for the old fashioned atmosphere and the big ice cream cones.
(Photo courtesy of PeoriaRestaurants.com)
June 10th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
I stopped by there yesterday. I was reminded of the A&W root beer stand on Prospect that I used to visit all the time because all the cute girls from Woodruff High worked there. M waitresses were certainly cute, but definitely underage. I couldn’t risk even glancing at them, lest I be considered a pre-vert, so I sat at one of the cement tables. The Coney dogs were pedestrian. Next time, I’ll have a BBQ.
June 10th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Nostalgia is the main reason anyone goes there … the food is pretty lackluster and the service is appealing only to boys under age 25. But it’s in the old neighborhood, it’s locally owned, and it is a landmark. Next time I’m in town, I’ll stop by for a chocolate malt.
m.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Not trying to hijack your post, nevertheless, have you tried the Ice Cream Shack?
June 12th, 2007 at 7:17 am
I haven’t, but that made me think we should do an “Ice Cream Crawl”. Kind of like a Pub Crawl, but for kids. See how many different Ice Cream stands we can hit this summer.
Personally, I’m sad that Lonnies on Farmington Rd closed down. We spent a lot of time (and money) there last summer.
June 12th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I drive by Lou’s every day on the way home, and there always seems to be a good crowd of people there. One thing I was thinking about the other day: Who in their right mind would let them hang one of those trays on the car window with those things rubbing against the paint? I can’t believe no one has come up with a non-destructive way to put trays on windows.