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South Side Neighborhood Restaurant Getting Back In The Carhop Business

When Don Hall's Original Drive In on Bluffton Road opened its doors in 1946, drive in restaurants were the rage, car hops delivered food to eager curbside customers, and "Buzzing Hall's" became the thing to do.

Now the Hall family is saluting that unique and historic south side neighborhood, and its residents, by bringing back the nostalgic drive in dining tradition that made it famous. Here's a bird's eye view of the operation's set up, back in its prime:

Credit Courtesy Hall's Restaurants
Hall's Original Drive In, ca. 1955

Earlier this week, WBOI's Julia Meek spoke with two of the family owners, Jeff and Ben Hall, to learn how the family's passion for business, and the south side's rich heritage drives their commitment to this grand old custom's revival.

Don Hall's Original Drive In is located at 1502 Bluffton Road. You can follow the progress of the renovation on the restaurant's Facebook page.

A Fort Wayne native, Julia is a radio host, graphic artist, and community volunteer, who has contributed to NIPR both on- and off-air for forty years. Besides being WBOI's arts & culture reporter, she currently co-produces and hosts Folktales and Meet the Music.
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