Norm Christensen (RIP) initially struggled but eventually did just OK with his Norm's Drive-ins. Then he bought Clausen's Boats and shortly thereafter got the Honda Motorcycle franchise at Clausen's. That was a home run for Norm, but then he got the Honda car franchise, as well! After that he was pretty well set. He then bought a cattle ranch and the marina rights at Millerton, the marina rights at Folsom Lake near Sacramento, and a 105K acre cattle ranch in eastern Oregon. My brother married into the Christensen family and I always thought Norm -- with his entrepreneurial spirit -- and his sibs were an interesting bunch.

Don't think so. Norm's started in the Mayfair shopping center and then moved to the SW corner of Blackstone and Shaw, just north of the old Clawson Boats/Honda dealership...

Was the Blackstone A&W previously a "Norm's Drive In"? This is going waayyyy back.

I remember the Clovis A&W on the N/E corner of Clovis Ave, and 5th St. I don't remember the closing date, but in 1975, I went to Clark Jr. High and don't remember it being open then.

You wouldn't be known as Linda? Really casting a long-shot now!

pacer

My sister was a carhop there in the late 70's

My sister-in-law managed that place in the 1970's, until they moved her and the A&W out to Blackstone and Barstow, and eventually sold the store to the south, which then became Fat Jack's.

Pacer

It was more than forty years ago when I was last there. To this day, I've never had better root beer, or root beer as good.

OK its been awhile, let me see if I can remember. I used to work at the Blackstone/Saginaw A&W from 77-79, 80ish. There was the:

Papa Burger- Seeded bun, special sauce,two patties of beef, lettuce, pickle
Mama Burger-Plain bun, one patty, special sauce, lettuce & Pickle
Teen Burger- Seeded bun, Bacon, cheese, one patty, special sauce, lettuce and pickle
Baby burger- plain small bun, small patty and ketchup.

We also served a BBQ Beef sandwich on a seeded bun, Chili Dog, Fish sandwich, Fries & Onion rings. Plus great root beer root beer floats & freezes. Every Thursday was Teen Burger special day, Teen Burger, Fries and Mug of root beer for 1.99. I miss that place. A&W corporation's biggest mistake was changing the menu and removing the burger family from it. They really need to bring back the Burger family like Jack in the Box brought back Jack.

I played little league baseball at Fort Miller Jr. High back in '63--'65. A game would start at 4PM on a hot summer afternoon, and by midgame the sweat line was halfway out to the tip of the brim of my baseball cap. After these games we were so dehydrated that we'd head for that A&W and each order a quart of rootbeer, which they served in tall pyramid-shaped enclosed paper containers. It was ice cold and I'd drink the whole thing as fast as I could without getting a brainfreeze headache.