Shooster’s 1st Gas Station on the left. Shooster’s Drive-In with enclosure on the right, 1939
Marie, which is an open refrigerator where we would keep pans of tuna fish salad, ham, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. A mechanical cash register sat on the counter waiting for the familiar ‘cha-ching’ when the customer paid. The stand was a success. We employed about 10 to 12 carhops, pretty young girls dressed in snappy uniforms. They would go out to the cars to complete the experience. With an order in hand, they would bring it back to the grill and place it on the counter. I did a lot of the cooking back then. As the orders were ready, you could hear me call out, “One Chocolate Shake! Two Cokes! Black and White Ice Cream Soda!” and on and on until the order was ready. Then I would call out to the carhop to pick up the order. She would place it on an aluminum tray and carry it to the car. The tray conveniently hooked over the door of the car. I became a short-order cook at the age of 14. I was a whirling dynamo behind the counter, flippin’ burgers, mixin’ shakes, and preppin’ ice cream sodas, all at the same time. Pretty soon I was doing this in my sleep.
Cindy Thomas Fernando, the daughter of one of the carhops, was told stories as she grew up about her mom. She said, “Once my mom was serving a customer. She hooked the tray onto their car window, and somehow the window slid down spilling the tray inside of the car!” Albert Billinger, a Chester resident, said, “I met John Dupont there one night, you know the one from Foxcatcher fame… or infamy. I used to cruise through Shooster’s all the time. After you shined up your ride, you would go to Shooster’s.” Tom Hutchins, another old Chester resi- dent, said, “Oh my god, memories, a friend of mine was ‘challenged’ at Shooster’s by a guy who was one of the bad-ass punks of Ches- ter. He swung at my friend, who weaved and landed more than one on him, and knocked him through the window onto the table inside!”
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