Feb 14th, 2018: Drive-in Food

Early 1950s California ran rife with innovations centered around the automobile.

Kenneth C. Purdy, an inventor from Vista, California, filed a patent application on July 2, 1948, that he described as follows. “My invention relates to a means for marketing goods, more particularly for use in mechanically delivering goods to the occupants of motor vehicles in a parking lot adjacent a retail place of business”.
Only a year later a new drive-in restaurant called “The Track” opened, at 8201 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Purdy’s invention, in addition to speeding food delivery also eliminated the carhop and the eatery promoted that cost-saving feature with no-tipping signage on the building. Fast food at less cost apparently was the sales line.

But they only lasted a couple years because in spite of no tipping and quick service, how could they compete wil hot girls on roller skates?


Besides the sign says they serve Fried Shit. :eyebrow:

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That could my family in the '41 De Soto with the visor who was just getting or just finishing their meal. The location, car and timing is right.

It only sort of surprised me to see that the patent was held by Ken Purdy, a prolific and truly great chronicler of things automotive. Wrong part of the county and different middle name though.

Darn it Bruce, how do you find things like ""The Old Motor?"
I don't know how I never found it, but now I've got 586 previous pages to look at.

Old Motor is one of my daily haunts, it's a guy up in Vermont who comes up with some rare shit.