Mel's Drive-In is a term referring to two American restaurant chains, the successors of a chain founded in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs in San Francisco, California. It is closely associated with the film American Graffiti.
| Mel's Drive-In | |
|---|---|
| Restaurant information | |
| Country | United States |
| Website | melsdrive-in |
History
editThe first Mel's Drive-In was founded in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs in San Francisco, California. It later expanded to several other locations.
After the last of the original restaurants closed in the 1970s, Weiss's son Steven Weiss and partner Donald Wagstaff opened the first of a new generation of Mel's Drive-In restaurants in 1985.[1] As of 2020, there are seven Mel's drive-in locations in Northern and Southern California and one Mel's Kitchen.
Some Mel's Drive-In locations are not drive-ins but rather diners. For example, while founded in San Francisco, none of the locations in the city currently serve food to patrons’ cars.
The signage and menus on the original Mel's Diners did not have a possessive apostrophe in the name, as would be expected. However, when Universal Studios recreated the diners at their theme parks in Hollywood, Orlando, Japan, Beijing, and Singapore, they opted to include the apostrophe in all Mel's Drive-In signage, literature, and media.
One location near downtown San Francisco, rechristened Mel's Kitchen, has gone upscale, serving $12 cocktails, $16 burgers with locally sourced beef, ahi poke, acai smoothies, and avocado toast.[2][3][4][5] That site was almost demolished to build housing.[6]
Original Mels
editThere are several Mel's in Northern California that share the same general American Graffiti nostalgia theme and the similarly styled Mel's logo. These restaurants are called “Original Mels”. Their locations are not listed on the official Mel's Drive-In website, but they have their own website, although an article from the Sacramento Business Journal shows that they are related. A family rift caused the Weisses to part ways and form two chains. The elder Weiss sold his company to Larry Spergel in 1994, who formed a group of about 50 stockholders that now owns the chain.[7]
Southern California locations
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All four Mel's Drive-In locations in Southern California are housed in historic buildings. Mel's Drive-In at 14846 Ventura Blvd in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles was built as Kerry's coffee shop in 1953. The googie style building was designed by Armet & Davis. Mel's Drive-In at 8585 Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood was built as Ben Frank's in 1962. The googie style building was designed by Lane & Schlick. Mel's Drive-In at 1660 N. Highland Ave in Hollywood is located in a portion of the former Max Factor makeup studio. The Hollywood Regency style building was designed by S. Charles Lee and built in 1935. The Mel's Drive-In at 1670 Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica was built as The Penguin in 1958. The googie style building was designed by Armet & Davis.[8][9][10][11]
Protest
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In October 1963, the Mel's Drive-In chain was picketed and subjected to a sit-in by the Ad Hoc Committee to End Discrimination over the fact that while the restaurant would serve food to African Americans and hired them as cooks, they were not allowed to work “up front” where they could be seen by white customers. More than 100 protesters were arrested. The picketing ended when Harold Dobbs, a San Francisco City supervisor who had run for mayor and lost, settled with the protesters and began to allow black workers upfront.[12]
In popular culture
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In 1972, the restaurant was selected as a feature location by George Lucas for his 1973 film American Graffiti. The Mel's used was located at 140 South Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.[13] It serves as the setting for the opening scene of the film as well as the backdrop for the opening credits, accompanied on the soundtrack by Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock”.
The prominent play given to the location has been credited with having saved the company from possibly going out of business.[citation needed] Signage and artwork from the Mel's chain are frequently used in marketing for the film.
Universal Studios built a replica of Mel's Drive-In on its lot, pursuant to the restaurant being used in American Graffiti – this amusement attraction also served as a gift shop for years.
Prior to American Graffiti, Mel's was used as a location in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are out for a drive, and Tracy pulls into Mel's and orders Oregon boysenberry ice cream; he then has a minor traffic altercation with a black man. The Mel's was located in the Excelsior district of San Francisco. Hepburn and Tracy never actually visited the location.
Mel's restaurants have since been featured in other media, such as Melrose Place (1996, Season 5, Episode 1), Doonesbury comics (December 18, 1989), and the book The American Drive-in by Mike Witzel.
The address for the Mel's Drive-In location on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is listed at the bottom of the signed headshots found in the VIP packages for the band Ghost's "A Pale Tour Named Death".
Gallery
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Mel's Drive-In sign in San Francisco. -
Bar seating at a Mel's Drive-In -
Mel's drive in Hollywood -
Sweet potato fries at Original Mel's Diner -
Original Mel's Diner at Boomtown in Verdi, Nevada -
Mel's Drive-In on Mission Street in San Francisco -
Mel's Drive-In sign in San Francisco -
Breakfast at Mel's Drive-in -
Original Mel's in Fairfield, CA
References
edit- ^ Eng 2010, p. 103
- ^ "Mel's Drive-In revamps its Van Ness location with cocktails and dry-aged, locally sourced burger". SFGate. 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- ^ "Mel's Drive-In Transforms into Swanky Destination for Avocado Toast and $12 Cocktails". Eater SF. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- ^ "SF's shuttered 'Mel's Drive-In' to reopen with new concept". SFGate. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- ^ "Avocado toast and cold brew … at Mel's Drive-In?". The Mercury News. 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- ^ "In unusual twist amid development boom, Mel's Drive-In will not be torn down for housing". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- ^ A 24-hour diner, Original Mels, soon to open on Howe - Sacramento Business Journal:
- ^ "Santa Monica's Penguin Coffee Shop Is Being Restored". Los Angeles magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Mel's". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Mel's Drive-In". Santa Monica Conservancy. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ Hess 2004, p. 113
- ^ "From Freedom Now! to Free Speech: How the 1963-64 Bay Area Civil Rights Demonstrations Paved the Way to Campus Protest" by Jo Freeman
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Hess, Alan (2004). Googie Redux: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture. Chronicle Books. p. 222. ISBN 978-0811842723. OCLC 249477365. (previously published in 1986 as Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture ISBN 978-0877013341)
- Eng, John and Biondo, Adriene (2010). Southern California Eats 2. Schiffer. ISBN 9780764336393.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
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