March 28, 2022 - Occasionally I allow my mind to wander back to the 1950s when food establishments served their foods to patrons while in their cars. The food was taken from the kitchen to the cars by attractive young girls called “carhops.” One does not see them any more, except an occasional food vendor in a large city doing this as a novelty.
Research shows that one has to go back to 1921 when an ill-remembered fellow named Jesse G. Kirby opened the first “Pig Stand” in Dallas, Texas. By 1924 there were ten locations in Dallas, and they were selling 50,000 burgers and other sandwiches weekly.
Mr. Kirby seems quite enterprising, having based his restaurants on the fact that people with cars would probably rather stay in their cars to eat. He introduced the concept of the carhop, a cherished part of drive-in tradition. The food was delivered to the cars on aluminum trays that hooked into the cars' doors.
Kirby's Pig Stand is credited with food's first onion rings, chicken fried steaks, and Texas Toast. The chain continued to grow. The “Texas Observer” magazine visited and recorded these impressions: “At the Pig Stand today, nostalgia rules without apology. Oldies giants like Buddy Holly, The Beach Boys, and The Kingsmen are still growing strong on the box, and culinary standards like the Pig Sandwich, and the Black Cow, and root beer floats are known to insiders are still on the menu. For misplaced health nuts, there's seasoned pork loin salad. The interior decor is heavily loaded with porcine kitsch.” Unfortunately, the Pig Stand chain closed it's doors in 2006.
Now, back to the carhops. The word “carhop” derived from “bellhops” in hotels, and were first done by men. They first appeared in 1921 when automobiles were beginning to be a common sight in Dallas. Two men, J. G. Kirby, and R.W. Jackson, decided to take advantage of the fact that many people owned cars, and more were coming. They realized that many of the drivers would rather not get out of their cars to eat. They opened the above mentioned Pig Stand, which had male carhops from the inception.
Women soon replaced male carhops during World War II because most American men left their jobs to join the military. Restaurants quickly discovered that a pretty girl sold more food. These female carhops generally did not receive a salary, but worked only on tips. By the late 1930s young ladies under age 25 were commonplace in Texas and California drive-ins, and were the subject of quite a bit of turmoil. They worked long hours, often until late at night. In many cases, they not only delivered sandwiches to customers, but also beer. Sometimes they were working for drive-ins that were more tavern than restaurant.
Issues surrounding female carhops came to a head in Texas and California in 1940. In January California's chief of the Division of Industrial Welfare ordered 30 drive-ins to pay carhops the state's legal minimum wage for women, which was $16 per week. The drive-ins reacted negatively, being accustomed to paying no wages at all – carhops worked for tips only – as well as charging carhops for uniforms and meals.
It was not long before merchants discovered the drive-in window. Customers could drive their cars up to the restaurant and order their meals still from their cars. From this new discovery, the carhops were doomed. Their services were no longer needed.
There are still a few drive-in restaurants around the country who use the scantily-clad female carhops. Some are even serving while wearing roller skates. However, these are few and between. I still miss those early days when a pretty, young girl would take my food order, then bring it out to me so I could dine in my car. Those were the days.
