Carlson’s Drive-In: The Way It’s Always Been

There aren’t many places left where ordering lunch feels nostalgic.

The kitchen speaker crackles orders overhead. A carhop walks across the parking lot balancing a tray. Inside, glass root beer mugs wait in the chiller until they’re coated in frost.

For nearly 80 years, Carlson’s Drive-In has operated this way. Not because it’s trying to hold on to the past, but because the formula has never stopped working.

Since opening in 1955, Carlson’s has outlasted changing tastes and changing ownership by focusing on doing two things right: making good food and serving people well.

Before the Root Beer

Carlson’s didn’t begin as a drive-in food stand.

In 1947, Bill and Fran Carlson purchased the property on Coolspring Avenue, where a tented roller rink and refreshment stand served hot dogs and cold drinks.

The rink remained for years — until skaters began to grow tired of Indiana weather beneath a tent.

After years of sweltering summers and freezing winters, the Carlsons tore it down and pivoted to a long-term business model.

In 1955, Carlson’s “Drive-In” opened.

Crowds returned not to skate, but to eat. Homemade root beer became the signature, while hotdogs remained the staple.

The rest of the evolution since then, happened just one season at a time.

Nothin’ Fancy

Most customers know exactly what they’re ordering before they pull into the lot. Others study the menu from behind their steering wheel, introducing kids or grandkids to a place they’ve been visiting for decades.

The root beer is still brewed on-site using the same recipe from the 50s & the hot dogs are still “all beef” and served in wax paper.

Everything is made to order, and there isn’t much interest in changing what customers already come looking for.

Modern convinces like card payment, tap-to-pay handhelds, and online order options have kept the business relevant, but orders are still scribbled down by girls in orange, and a microphone is still used to shout menu items back to the kitchen.

 

 

Flashers ON for Service

The business has changed hands over the years, but the philosphy hasn’t.

After Bill and Fran Carlson, longtime butcher Marty Rebac took ownership, having supplied the restaurant’s meat for more than three decades. Even after selling the business to John and Lori Hermann, he continued showing up each morning to help prepare the restaurant before opening.

Today, owners Laura & Chris Imperato say part of the reason for the business’s success has been the universal commitment to preserving the customer experience across decades of service and different ownerships.

Laura, a former carhop, knows exactly what people expect when they pull into the lot.

So when she took over, it was important to keep recipes and routines familiar, as well as employing a staff that understands they’re serving more than lunch.

The classic orange uniforms, the friendly smiles, and quick sprint to car windows are all ingredients that Laura keeps a watchful eye on.

Even the way the food on a tray is organized is intentional. It’s the kind or thing 80 years of business teaches… or in the case of spilled root-beer & sticky cars — demands.

The Measure of a Place

Some restaurants are known for a dish. Others because of where they’re located.

You could say Carlson’s became part of Michigan City’s rhythm.

It’s where Little League teams stop after games. Where families head after the beach. Where someone makes their first stop after getting back into town.

It’s the start and end of a summer.

No one announces the traditions, but they happen often enough that they’ve become part of the place itself.

On any summer day, the parking lot tells the story.

Someone is ordering the same thing they’ve ordered for years.

A kid is trying the root-beer for the first time.

A carhop walks another tray across the asphalt lot, the same one her grandparents pulled into.

This is the way it’s been for almost 80 years.

And tomorrow, they’ll do it the same way.

Disclaimer: Businesses featured through the “It’s A City Thing” initiative are featured at the discretion of the City of Michigan City for storytelling, tourism, and community engagement purposes. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or guarantee by the City of Michigan City, its officials, employees, or affiliates. No business paid, compensated, or otherwise provided consideration in exchange for participation or inclusion in this feature.