A Lost Legacy: The Avalon Drive-In

kellison71
3 days ago
3 min read

Last week the Castle Test Kitchen took a cruise to the Pik-Nik Drive-In for National Restaurant Month. This week, we’re headed across State Street to one of the Pik-Nik’s competitors, the Avalon.

The Saginaw News, February 5, 1955. — *The Saginaw News*, February 5, 1955.

The Avalon Curb Service Restaurant first came on the scene as a staple of the State Street corridor at Court, on the south side, in 1949. A vision of owner John Hicks and his wife, Irma, the Avalon initially had a hard time petitioning the Saginaw City Council for a 30-foot-wide curb cut at the restaurant’s corner. This lack of cut limited the initial service for automobiles to curbside. The restaurant later expanded into drive-in, dine-in and takeout service.

The Saginaw News, October 15, 1942. — *The Saginaw News,* October 15, 1942.

John and Irma Hicks’ relationship was truly born from food—they first met at a box lunch social where John purchased Irma’s box lunch. Soon thereafter, in 1942, they were married at Peace Lutheran Church, where Irma, a lifelong Saginawian, was a founding member. John had come to Michigan in 1940 from Minnesota after attending college, but both of his parents were Michigan natives, so the entire family relocated to Saginaw. He initially worked at F.P. Jank Chevrolet Transmission Plant as an accountant, while Irma, ten years his junior, played piano regularly at church. The couple would go on to have two children.

Whether it was John’s time at the Chevrolet plant or a combined affinity for cars (Irma had been one of the most popular students at Michigan Lutheran Seminary as she owned the only car on campus), the couple decided to open their own drive-in. From 1949-1972 the Hicks’ ran the Avalon Drive-In Restaurant at the corner of State and Court until their retirement.

Not much is known about the Avalon—outside of what they advertised in The Saginaw News: 85-cent roast chicken dinners, fish dinners, pizza, junior burgers, fried chicken and fries. However, their 23 years in business suggest that their restaurant was well-received by the community and the food, tasty. Much like the Pik Nik, the location’s proximity to both MLS and Arthur Hill schools undoubtedly lent itself to an increased customer base of teens.

The Castle Test Kitchen was also unable to locate a photograph of the Avalon during its time of operation, so it remains a bit of a mystery beyond the single-story brick facade indicated on Sanborn maps.* After the Hicks' retired, the address became West Side Decorating, until a 2013 fire caused a move. Today, it is home to Lincare, a medical supply company.

*If you have a picture of the Avalon, please share it with us at ttrombley@castlemuseum.org

The Recipe: A Junior Burger, Curbside

While no actual recipes from the Avalon are available, we do have their advertisements—and nothing sounds more drive-in worthy than a 15-cent junior burger. Drawing from this CTK staffer’s time working in a 1950s drive-in restaurant, we came up with this version of the classic.

Ingredients:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef

4 plain hamburger buns

butter

Ketchup

Mustard

Dill Pickle Slices

Onion, cut into rings

Burger sides of your choice (we went with classic French fries and an orange phosphate)

Directions:

Divide ground beef into four equal-sized balls. Preheat cast iron skillet, flat top grill, or frying pan until just beginning to smoke. Without crowding pan, place balls of ground beef into hot pan. Cook until bottom is browned with crispy bits before flipping.

Flip, smash burger flat with back of spatula or grill press, making sure to get it as thin as possible. Cook until edges are crispy and meat is cooked through. Top with American cheese, if desired. Dome to steam and promote melting.

While burgers cook, coat cut sides of buns (top and bottom) with melted butter. Toast buns on pan used for burgers, or another pan. Until lightly browned.