Pik-Nik Drive-In: “Where all Good Friends Meet”

kellison71
Oct 5
4 min read

According to a Saginaw News advertisement from 1955, “October is National Restaurant Month.” The advertisement inspired our October recipe posts as it featured a list of Saginaw restaurants—some of which, the CTK has previously covered*—but many we have not.

“Wives who cook and do the dishes, Should be granted these three wishes, a Grateful mate, a well kissed cheek, A restaurant dinner, every week,” notes the ad—and we couldn’t agree more. Enjoy the Castle Test Kitchen’s take on dining out this month…

“A permit to construct a drive-in restaurant at 3504 State has been issued by the city Building Inspection Division to Edward W. Geyer and Andrew H. Blohm, 3309 Osler. Estimated cost of the one story, wood frame structure is $3,200. (The Saginaw News, July 24, 1949.)

When the eatery opened, the paper reported:

“[The] Pik-Nik is centered on a spacious lot with 125 feet frontage on State and 180 on Court, affording plenty of parking space. The building itself is 27x47 feet. Its design trends toward the appearance of home rather than commercial building.

The dining room has a homelike touch in three large picture windows giving a view of the spacious grounds. Inside there is a big viewing window which gives the guest much more than a glimpse of the section in which foods are prepared and assembled for serving. There are five windows for expediting curb service.” (The Saginaw News, September 2, 1949.)

A Castle museum member, a graduate of Arthur Hill High School’s class of 1958, vividly recalls the Pik-Nik Drive In.** The interior, a movie set-like construction of chrome and red vinyl, was a perfect meeting point for an after-game date. The eatery’s fare featured the iconic and expected hot dogs, malts and hamburgers. Beverages were served in paper cups cradled in chromium-plated holders. Food was presented in oval plastic baskets lined with parchment-like paper.

When the Pik-Nik opened its doors in 1949, the Court and State intersection was on the very edge of the city. The eatery was in the forefront of the tremendous suburban growth that would redefine Saginaw. And soon, the eatery would be neighbored by shopping centers, banks and new residential subdivisions. State Street would become a one-way street and coupled with Davenport, would become a main, regional traffic route.

From the Arthur Hill Legenda, 1957.

In 1958, a new owner, Martin Bragman, added a canopy on the State Street front of the building. And in 1959, Court Street north of State was renamed Warwick Street. The renaming is a hint to the building’s next chapter. In 1963, the restaurant was sold and transformed into the Warwick Lounge. In granting the liquor license, the City Council required that the Warwick Lounge not offer drive-through service for food.

Today, the building houses Grand Central Sports Bar and Grill.

State Street has long history of car-centered dining. Other State Street Drive-Ins we have featured include:

https://www.castlemuseum.org/post/the-new-strand-barbeque

https://www.castlemuseum.org/post/back-to-the-yukon

*Other Saginaw restaurants covered by the CTK that the 1955 advertisement highlights:

Anderson Steak House, Bob Gibson’s Yukon, Home Dairy Co., Jake’s Grill, Johnnie Ryan’s Chanticleer, Royal Palm, Roy’s Steak House, and Zehnder’s Inn.

**Hyphens come and go in the Pik-Nik Drive-In title. In this piece, we are using Pik-Nik Drive-In; however, in quotes we are using the restaurant’s name in the form given.

The Recipe: Pizza Pups in the style of the Pik-Nik Drive-In – we hope

Unable to locate an actual recipe from the Pik-Nik, we were about to create a simple pie and then we discovered a February 10, 1956, advertisement announcing:

“It’s new and it’s here, ‘The pizza burger and the ‘pizza pup’”

The advertisement promised: “Just taste one! …and you’ll agree…this entirely new and delicious concoction truly hits the spot.” Although it included a somewhat blurry illustration of what a pizza pup might look like, it provided scant guidance in our quest to recreate the Pik-Nik’s pizza pup. The claim, “the first time in Saginaw,” suggests the pizza pup may have been part of a national craze for the savory morsels; however, if there was pizza pup craze, it passed quickly with little record – other than being featured in four advertisements for the Pik-Nik.

Ingredients:

8 Hot Dog Buns

8 Hotdogs

About 1/2 – 1 cup pizza sauce*

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions –

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook hotdogs in accordance with supplier’s instructions.

Toast hotdog buns. Spread thin layer of pizza sauce in each opened bun. Place cooked hotdog in bun. Spread layer of pizza sauce over top of hotdog - being careful not to get sauce on exterior portion of bun. Place shredded mozzarella cheese over sauced portion of hotdog – again, being careful not extend onto exterior of bun.

Place in oven until cheese is melted and has tinges of browning – about 5 minutes.

Plate and serve immediately.