I’m approaching my 400th Rearview Mirror column (Dec. 7). The columns that have gotten the most comments and emails have been about restaurants and drive-ins that were open when many of my readers were teenagers. Here are some of the latest stories I’ve received about those.
Andy’s Drive-In
Several readers wrote to me about Andy’s Drive-In, which Andrew Wong opened in 1956.
Adrian Kozuki said it was a landmark in Kailua for many years. “Their shrimp burgers, teri burgers as well as their vanilla and chocolate shakes were very popular. Andy’s french fries were hard to beat. They were hand-cut, as my wife, who worked there in the 1950s and ’60s, can attest to. It served Kailua for a long time until an auto parts store took over. It’s sad to see it and all the old burger joints from the past go.”
Steve Holck said his family also had many meals at Andy’s. “You could see its red roof from the top of the Pali Highway! Andy said the iconic red roof was steep so the rain would drain quickly, and he would never have to replace it.”
No contractor wanted to build the roof because of the sharp angle, Holck says. Andy told him that he found a U.S. Marine at Biggies Nut Shell, a bar across the street, who could build it straight, even when he was inebriated.
“When my cousins and friends finished an afternoon of surfing, we would go to Andy’s Drive-In and order five hamburgers for a dollar. No drinks because we couldn’t afford it. I can still visualize us parked against the big Ching Lee Chop Suey wall in our swim shorts, grinding our burgers with no care in the world! The wall, by the way, is still there!
“I loved the light mayo mustard sauce they made,” Holck continued, “and would go to Byron’s Drive-in — another of Andy’s restaurants — by the airport to have some until it too closed. Now I just have fond memories.
“Out of respect for our beloved Andy’s Drive-in, I regularly ask the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts guys for a hamburger. The old ones, like me, get it. The younger guys are bewildered … lol.”
Glenn Martin said he met his wife at Andy’s, his weekend hangout.
“It was on one of those nights that I introduced myself to my future wife. Unfortunately, it didn’t go that well at first. But because I was persistent, I eventually made progress.
“Now, 44 years of marriage, two sons and seven grandchildren later, I can only thank Andy’s for their slush floats, their delicious hamburgers and the opportunity to meet the love of my life.
“Thanks for sharing all of these memories of outstanding places from the days of our youth,” Martin concluded.
Kau Kau Korner
Sunny Sundstrom opened this drive-in at Kapiolani Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue, the “Crossroads of the Pacific,” in 1935. There was room for 100 cars in its parking lot, and 100 people could eat in its open-air dining rooms.
Ten years later, when World War II ended, two parties spontaneously erupted in Honolulu. One was downtown, the other in Waikiki. When they heard of the other, the downtown partyers decided to go to Waikiki, and vice versa.
The two parties became one giant celebration outside the Kau Kau Korner. The drive-in could barely keep up with their food and drink orders.
Paul Wysard told me, “Those of us at a certain age fondly remember the Kau Kau Korner. A drive-in means cars, and the teen fad of the time was to slowly cruise in to display yours — usually a mid- to late-’30s Ford. Some were meticulously polished, others were coated in gray primer, but both styles were status symbols. The shiny one suggested classiness, and the primer indicated a work-in-progress toward such classiness.”
High school rivalries added to this silent but intense competition, Wysard believed. “If there was no game or date on Friday or Saturday nights, those watering holes were where one could find Da Boys.”
The Kau Kau Korner was famous for a sign with arrows pointing to distant cities and how many miles away they were. A local spokesperson for Kodak called it the most photographed sign in the world. A re-creation of it can be found at the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center.
Retired ophthalmologist John Corboy remembers a unique dispenser at the Kau Kau Korner.
“Yes, it was a popular place for burgers and cokes for we high school students In the early 1950s. However, the chief attraction was a condom dispensing machine in the men’s room. They were three for a quarter. I believe it was actually illegal to sell them there. This was at a time when condoms could be purchased by adults ‘for prevention of disease only.’
“They were available only behind the counter at the pharmacy, and virtually inaccessible to teenagers. Very few of us ever had the opportunity to use one, but it was a macho thing to have one in your wallet. How times have changed!”
In 1960, Kau Kau Korner’s lease was up, and Spencecliff took over and turned it into Coco’s. Later it became a Hard Rock Cafe.
Rainbow Drive-In
My friend Herbert Murayama told me he worked at Kapiolani Drive-In (which became Wailana Coffee House) with Seiji (“George”) Ifuku. Ifuku left, and he and his wife, Ayako, started Welcome Inn downtown, then Kalakaua Drive-In in Waikiki around 1950.
It was on the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Ala Moana Boulevard. Car hops served plate lunches and sandwiches for under 50 cents.
During WWII Ifuku served in the 100th Battalion, where he learned to cook.
In 1961 they moved to Kapahulu in search of lower lease rents and opened Rainbow Drive-In. Popular items included 25-cent hamburgers, 14-cent French fries, 50-cent chili rice plates and $1 barbecue steak plate lunches.
Rainbow Drive-In recently opened a second location on School Street in Kalihi.
Leeward drive-ins
Rick Serafine told me that one of his favorite places on the Leeward side was Bluebird Drive Inn in Pearl City, across the street from Scotty’s Drive-In. It opened in 1968. “OMG, the fried noodles and the BBQ burgers were yummy! I sure miss them. A month ago we were all sitting at Wah Kung Restaurant in Waipahu and reminiscing about Clocks Drive Inn in Waipahu. It was located where McDonald’s is now, near Don Quijote’s.”
Jeff Cook recalls that there were four huge clock faces atop its restaurant.
“They also had a hamburger that had a mustard mayonnaise sauce,” Serafine said. “The french fries were also so, so good.
“Then there was also Nakatani Drive-In in Nanakuli,” he continued. “We used to go there after we surfed in Waianae. This place was known for their large homemade corn dogs. It was located where the McDonald’s is now.”
H. Nakatani Drive-In opened in 1965 and called itself “The Oasis of Nanakuli.”
“In Waianae there was Tasty Freeze,” Serafine said. “You could get a homemade lemon custard soft cone for 10 cents. So yummy and so good after surfing.
“Back up to Waipahu … Goodie Goodie Drive Inn was known for the GURI GURI ice cream” — pineapple and strawberry sherbet. Owner Ralph Matsumoto had one in Moiliili, too.
“But my all-time favorite place was Hamada Okazuya in Waipahu across from Oahu Sugar. I would do anything to taste that food again. I’d get up at 5 in the morning to get a box lunch with all of the homemade items like sushi, shrimp tempura, etc. It was not too early for me!”
Hamada’s was founded by Hisako and Hakue Hamada in 1951.
Jolly Roger Drive-in
Art Salisbury opened the first Jolly Roger in the mountain community of Big Bear, Calif., in 1947. It was a malt shop with ice cream and burgers and opened only in the summer. Around 1952 he moved it to Balboa Island, south of Los Angeles, where it thrived.
“Art liked Hawaii,” said Biff Graper, who worked for 34 years with the chain. Jolly Roger restaurants began opening in Waikiki, Kahala, Kalihi and Pearlridge in 1958. At one time they had 16 outlets.
Kenny Kaneshiro managed the Kahala Jolly Roger. He created specialty sandwiches, such as the “Porky Boy” (teri pork with onions), “Cheesy Girl” (double burger with plenty of cheese), “Suzy-Q” (teri burger with double cheese) and “Beefy Boy” (double burger).
The Kahala location, now a Zippy’s, first opened as Mynah Bird Drive In in 1960. It featured shrimp burgers, barbecue chicken, chili, milkshakes and other fountain treats.
Have a favorite restaurant from back in the day? Drop me a line.
Bob Sigall is the author of the five “Companies We Keep” books with stories of Hawaii people, places and organizations. Email him at Sigall@yahoo.com.
