Since their inception, drive-thru eateries have evolved significantly. In 1948, In-N-Out famously created the first two-way speaker system for seamless ordering, forever changing the drive-thru landscape. Drive-thrus now have wrap-around parking lots, making it easier to depart once you’ve finished your meal, but this wasn’t always the case.
Many places had congested lots, making it impossible for cars to turn around and escape. The vehicle turntable was one solution to this issue. Kewpee Hamburgers, a prominent hamburger joint in Lima, Ohio, was one of the restaurants to put a vehicle turntable in its parking lot in the 1940s.
Customers may order and receive their food at the drive-thru window before heading to the large turntable at the back of the lot. The revolving platform would then turn the vehicles in the direction of the exit, allowing them to continue on their way with their burgers in tow.
The construction makes the drive-thru much more convenient and safe. Kewpee Hamburgers’ turntable in downtown Lima was still operational in 1955, but it soon became obsolete. It’s unclear when it was removed.
The History Of Kewpee Hamburgers
Stub and June Wilson established the first Lima Kewpee at 111 N Elizabeth St. in the late 1920s. It was a modest establishment with a walk-up window selling burgers for a nickel. Kewpee’s headquarters are now in Lima, and it is regarded as an institution in the small city. However, the chain originated in Flint, Michigan, not Ohio. In 1923, Samuel Blair opened the first restaurant, which was originally named “Kewpee Hotel Hamburgers”. The name is derived from the once-popular comic strip character, Kewpie. A Kewpie doll is also used as the mascot.
The Kewpee trademark was sold to Ed Adams in 1926, and the chain expanded rapidly through franchising. There were nearly 400 stores spanning from the Midwest to New York, but many of them closed due to meat shortages after World War II. Today, there are three locations in Lima that you can visit if you are in town. Kewpees can also be found in Lansing, Michigan and Racine, Wisconsin.
