SLO pizza place offers carhop service, just like a restaurant did there 70 years ago
A San Luis Obispo restaurant is turning the clock back to the 1950s with drive-up carhop service at a location that offered the same option to diners some 70 years ago.
Gino’s Pizza kicked off its new, nostalgic theme last Friday at the Monterey Street building that was the former home of the Little Chef restaurant, which was a drive-up in the 1950s.
The site is well suited to a carhop, with about 30 parking spots for diners.
The restaurant is now offering daily lunch and dinner meals served on classic aluminum trays that attach to the windows of vehicles parked outside the restaurant.
For Gino’s, it was a creative way to help keep people safe amid coronavirus precautions and offer fun, takeout service, according to restaurant owner Consuelo Díaz.
“The idea came to me after I saw a construction worker eating his sandwich in his truck,” she added. “I realized people want to eat in their vehicles now.”
Díaz said that it has been interesting for some to rediscover a piece of American history, and for others in younger generations to learn about it for the first time.
“What was old is new again,” said Díaz, a native of San Sebastián, Spain, who has lived in the U.S. for three decades after meeting her husband in Santa Barbara.
How it works
After ordering by phone or online (in person is available as well), drivers can flash their lights or honk to alert the staff to their arrival, but Díaz said the eatery’s staff is mindfully paying attention to the customers.
“Carhops, conceptualized in the 1920s and popularized in the 1950s, were largely replaced by drive-through service in the 1960s,” the restaurant said in a news release.
Gino’s offers pickup, free delivery, and carhop service from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The restaurant is partnering with local wineries to provide bottled wines at 30% to 40% off retail price with the purchase of meals for at-home dining.
And it’s dedicating Sundays to a free meal to a family in need, as part of its Sunday Suppers initiative. The business is accepting recommendations for families in need through Facebook on the “Gino’s Pizza’s SLO” page.
Guests can order online or by phone at 805-752-1333, or in person at 1761 Monterey St.
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