July 12, 2010

• Weekly Photo Challenge, “the Color of Business”

  
  

   

  Follow this Link to Visit and PLAY with 
  the Weekly Photo Challenge
  It runs for one full week from Friday mornings to late Thursday nights. 

  The challenge beginning July 9, 2010 is:

  “The Color / Colour of Business”
  suggested by me:    PhotoGraphics

   

  I have several business I enjoy taking photos of but I went with the colors of a business that has nostalgic overtones of color, for me. 

  My photos

   

  1- 

  I imagine a lot of you are familiar with Sonic Drive In Restaurants with curb service.  They are an American company with 3500 locations and are nearing 60 years old.  As a teen ager, my favorite drive in was Carter’s Drive In and my standard order was a freshly made fish sandwich, strawberry pie and a glass of white milk.  Frishes or Big Boy restaurants were the major competition and both had curb service with carhops.  I was not aware of Sonic at the time and their site says they have changed names a couple of times.  

   

  2- 

  To my knowledge, in our area, Carhop service is available now, only at Sonic restaurants.    The menu is about the same but larger.  Sonic is always colorful, has a weekly / monthly special and this week it is footlong hot dogs with chili, cheese and onions which is a favorite of mine, I even fix them at home.  Sonic does have a drive through but sitting in the car, placing an order and getting carhop service is much more fun and the only time to be there in my estimation is at night.  If any of you are aware of the movie American Graffiti, the movie was made in 1973 and nearly covers my life in it’s single night of events.  I grew up with every instance of what the movie is about so it’s a great reminder of my teen years.  Sonic does not play movies but they have a radio station with disk jockey and this past evening we heard a lot of Elvis songs.  You can request with an email.

   

  3- 

  I think drive in restaurants took over from the old steel diners which I loved and miss.  There is one in Cincinnati but it opens and closes under new management a lot which is a shame.  It’s one of the nicest I know of and has served up some really fun foods including Roadkill Chili.  The thing I liked most about steel diners was they were cozy, nearly always had neon lighting and evening hours plus fast food.  Sonic has the feel of the steel diners in their use of lots of neon.  Sonic’s colors are boisterous so they can’t be missed when driving and if you stop they have friendly car hops and food can be carried home, eaten in your car or sit at outside tables on nice days.  I imagine the food will not be rated the best for you when it comes to calories etc but if you need a mental lift of nostalgia, Sonic is the place to go.

   

  4- 

  Here you see the average pull in for an order, the scene isn’t quite as I remember it, the fifties cars would be in the drive in, not a van like this one.

   

  5- 

  A carhop making her food delivery.  Curb service is pretty fast and easy going.  No rush to get your order in so the guy behind you can get to the speaker to place his order.  Everyone in the pull ins has their own speaker, just push a button.

   

  6- 

  Actually, this is an incomplete picture but this is as close as I could create it.  The Chevy is lifted from another photo I took at Eastcoast Subs.  Though the car is to die for, decked out with fuzzy dice in its window, it lacks white wall tires and has four doors.  Young people preferred two doors.  Glass packs, fender skirts, four barrel carburetors and a big V8 engine were a must.  If the car didn’t have it any self respecting teen owner would work on the car until it did.  I’ll have to discover whether Sonic has the drive arounds like kids used to do, circling the drive in with their roadsters and souped up cars with girlfriend in the passenger seat.  You get the general idea as my mind furnishes me with the memories.  I suggest if you want to see how it really was, get the movie.  It covers a single evening, pre graduation night and all the fun and trouble kids in cars can get into within the time span.  The particular movie has a lot of young actors in the making you will recognize. 

   

  This pretty much covers the Color’s of Business at Sonic and any drive in eatery with car hops, a fun time.

  Have a great week and thanks to everyone who played with the challenge and stopped by to comment.

   

   

   

   

  • 5:58 pm
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