Farrell's

From the collection of Cindy Williams comes these 2 great shots. Her sister worked at the Eastland Mall location and these pictures show her in uniform as well as in front of the mall entrance to Farrell's. Thanks, Cindy!

Pine St Snack Bar

The Pine St Snack Bar was located in Fourth Ward at 215 N. Pine St (across the street from the current Harris-Teeter). This shot is a good peek at the many small snack bars and lunch spots that dotted the downtown neighborhoods during this time period. This photo is dated June 10, 1963.

Independence Blvd - early 1960's

Wonderful early-60's color shot of Independence Blvd. Oven's Auditorium and the Coliseum had recently opened and two popular Charlotte eateries are visible in the picture. Circled lower left is The Stork and circled to the right is the legendary Babe Malloy's Drive-In. The opening of the two entertainment venues would hasten the grow of Independence and Charlotte's east side.

Click here for the original Stork post.

Lance in the 1940's

Not so much of an eatery per se, but Charlotte-based Lance has been providing snack crackers to the nation since 1913. Acquired by Synder's in 2010, Lance continues to still be produced in Charlotte. 

Below is a nice time capsule look from the 1940's including the full-page cartoon ads which are almost works of art. At this point in time, Lance was located on South Blvd at the edge of downtown.

Pedro's - Pt II

Finally --- a great shot of the exterior of the legendary Pedro's! This beauty is from 1974.

Click here for the original post.

Drive-in's - 1950's

In the late 1950's, the big boom in Charlotte was drive-in restaurants. It seemed almost every restaurant offered curb service. The auto age was in full swing and eating (and being seen) in your car was the popular option.

Enjoy the pictures and ads below that showcase some of the many drive-ins that dotted the Charlotte landscape during the late 1950's and 1960's. Click on the picture title to go to the previous original post (if highlighted).

Dixieland Drive-in - 1962 (eventually The Venus would occupy this address)

Bar-B-Q King - Wilkinson Blvd - 1960 - still in business today!

Town & Country Drive-in - Wilkinson Blvd - 1959

Harrill's Bar-B-Q - Kings Dr - 1956

Clock Drive-In - 1960

Shoney's - Morehead St - 1960 - one of the most popular

Skyland Drive-in - South Blvd - 1959

The Drum Drive-in - East Blvd - 1957

Westover Drive-in - West Blvd - 1961

Above 3 - Jerry's Drive-in - pictured is the Park Rd location -- one also at Indep Blvd & 4th St

McDonald's - Indep Blvd - '61 - Charlotte's first location - not a drive-in but you had to eat in your car

Stafford's Drive-in - Wilkinson Blvd - 1956

Johnny's Drive-in - 1959

South 21 - 1959 - currently, the No 2 location is still going strong!

Lunch counters - 1950's

One of the most popular places to meet in the 1950's in Charlotte was at the local lunch counter. Some were located in downtown department stores, others were in the numerous pharmacies in town. Some people called them lunch counters and others called them soda shops. For teens, it was the place to go after school let out to socialize. 

Enjoy the pictures below that showcase some of the soda shops/lunch counters in Charlotte during the 1950's and early 1960's. Click on the picture title to go to the previous original post (if highlighted).

Anderson's - 1950 (also a full-fledged restaurant)

Eckerd's on Providence Rd - 1956

Southern Drug Store on E Morehead St - 1961

Above 4 all from the downtown Ivey's store from the late 1950's

Eastwood Pharmacy on Eastway Dr - 1963

Above 2 from the Derita Drug Store - Late 1950's

Dairy Queen - Hutchinson Avenue Shopping Center

Early 1960's pictures of the Dairy Queen that was at the Hutchinson Avenue Shopping Center in North Charlotte. One shot appears to be a night shot! Opened in the late-50's, it was operated by the Carpenter family. 

Click here for the original DQ post.

UNCC 1982

In 1982, UNCC was relatively far outside of the Charlotte city limits. The eating options off campus were few but the restaurants were good. This is a nice group of ads showcasing the UNCC-area eateries from 1982.