Small Town-Fast Food

In today's society, fast food joints line the street and play a huge roll in the size of our waistline's(pun is intended). Biggie size, super size, mega meals...it's no wonder we all weigh too much and have clogged arteries. But what if I was to ask you to think about a small town in Colorado in the early to mid 1960's. You'd probably think of an old run down restaurant filled with tables and chairs and ample cigarette smoke. And yes, Craig had a couple of those. But Craig also had some 'fast food' joints. They were not called 'fast food' joints then, mainly because they cooked everything to order, but they fit the profile. In fact, a couple of them even had names we're familiar with today.

My favorite was the A&W. It was on the corner of Victory and Green street and was built in the classic Drive-in format. A small one room building with a kitchen at the back and a service window in the front. The classic covered parking that ran the length of the parking lot. Complete with teen age car hops and the classic frosted Root Beer mugs.



Like any kid, I loved to go to the A&W. Still to this day, a frosty root beer is hard to beat. There are two things I remember most about the menu at the A&W, and neither is the root beer.

First, I remember the 'frozen cokes'. Nothing too special about that, but they were one of my favorites. Ten or twelve ounces of coke in a paper cup and frozen solid in a freezer. They handed it to you with a plastic spoon and you started 'chipping' away. They were better at the A&W than the ones I tried to make at home. I never could figure out why. I mean...its just coke...frozen...what could be so hard about that? Still, the ones at the A&W were always sweeter than the ones I tried to make at home. And why did they even sell them? In the last 40 years, I have never seen 'frozen cokes' on any restaurant or drive-in menu. I loved 'em though, and I think they were only 10 cents.

The second, was the hot dog. As a kid I was not big on hamburgers, I liked the hot dogs. At the A&W, I liked to order 2 hot dogs with ketchup and mustard. Emm, Emm good. I still order my hot dogs that way today. I like them with relish and onions and all the fix ens...but just the other day at the DQ I ordered my hot dog with ketchup and mustard only. Hmmm...reliving my childhood? I use to take my school lunch money, and sneak off the school grounds at lunch break (which was against the rules) and go down to the A&W (about 3 blocks from school) and buy 2 hot dogs with ketchup and mustard and a root beer. I did that a lot. Call me a rebel.

The A&W was not the only game in town. Downtown Craig, across from the courthouse was a little one room Drive in called the Tastee Freez. I had a favorite there too. But it was not the ice cream as you might expect. When I went to the Tastee Freez I wanted to get a 'chocolate coke'. I absolutely loved their chocolate cokes. I don't much care for them now. And to be honest, I can't imagine why I liked them so much then. But I did. Perhaps if I could go back in time and try one of the Tastee Freez Chocolate Cokes as they made them then...perhaps I would like them again. Doubt it.

There was the B&B drive in out east of town. I had no favorite thing there that I can remember. But I did not make it out there too often. It was east of town and would have required a car to go visit, or a long bike ride. It was the teen hang out I think. I think I got to go there when one of the older brothers or sisters got stuck watching little brother. "Buy him a chocolate coke, that will keep him quiet!" I'm assuming, I have few memories of the B&B.

There was the Easley's Hamburger place. Again, I was not a hamburger man (boy), but Easley's burgers had a sort of reputation. Perhaps it was the fact that they were the MacDonald's of Craig. Yes, Easley's put a special sauce on their burgers, kinda like Thousand Island dressing. I remember them being the 'burger of choice' around town. Perhaps it was because they opened a stand across from the High School and I had 3 older brothers and sisters (in High School or Junior High). The young are so easily influenced by their older brothers and sisters. Yeah, that's why I was a 'hot dog' man/boy.

Well, so much for my childhood 'fast food' memories. I think I'll go put a coke in the freezer and see if I can bring back a childhood 'favorite thing' memory. Now where were those paper cups....wait...we don't have paper cups anymore, now they are plastic....drat...they'll never taste the same now....