This past weekend I visited Staunton, Virginia, where my older brother got married. My wife and I have a tradition of going to McDonalds after weddings, but since there wasn’t a Micky-Dirty nearby, we stopped by an old-school drive-in called Wright’s Dairy-Rite — an establishment that could only have been founded in the 1950s.
My burger and onion rings aren’t going to win any awards, but the food got the job done because the vibes were 10/10.
Look at this place:
Neon signs? Check. Covered drive-in stalls? Check.
Old-school microphones to order food? Check. Vintage diner with a juke-box? Check.
Vintage diner with a juke-box? Check.
Car shows? Check:
Cool family-owned history dating back to the 1950s? Check.
Classic American food? Check:
But as cool as all of this is, it all pales in comparison to this:
That’s right; it’s a Ford Mustang burger tray! Specifically, it’s a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang convertible; I love that the box specifies this:
I’m marginally disappointed by the lack of underbody hardware like an exhaust and driveshaft, but I guess the brand had to put some writing somewhere. That brand, by the way is “Kid Stuff,” and they did a bang-up job with this burger-box.
The grille and lights look right for a 1964 1/2, as do the wheels and side trim. You’ll see that this one got the big motor — the 289:
Here’s the rear:
I love how correct the seats and dash look:
This is great stuff from Kid Stuff, who sells these boxes as “Classic Cruisers.” Here you can see some of the other cars (Chevies and Fords) that one can fill with burgers and fries:
Why all food in America isn’t served in cars is beyond me. Every meal I have eaten since has felt hollow and unsatisfying, which is why I’m glad I brought this cardboad 1964 1/2 Mustang home. I plan to eat from it until it becomes a soggy pulp.
There’s a chain called “Quaker Steak and Lube” that used this with their kids meals. I hope they still do.
These have been a thing since I was a kid at least (the ’57 Chevy was particularly ubiquitous). As much as they’ve updated with some late-model domestic stuff, I want to see Radwood-era burger trays. Imagine, your radioactive orange Supra tray, with your Toretto burger and Brian fries, wondering what the retail is on that Ferrari meal at the next table over!
Oh man, I would have been begging to go to that place as a kid just to get my hands on those.
We used to have a Ruby’s Diner (chain restaurant) near us that had those food trays for the kids, my young daughter was a fan. I remember getting a GTO once; she insisted that the smiley face stickers went on the hubcaps.
This is a shitpost.