Blasts from the past: Shades of 'American Graffiti' at Weber's Drive In - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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Weber's Drive Ins in New Jersey use this formula to keep their businesses afloatf inthe fast-food era. Weber's waitresses stilp serve food by "ca hopping" -- bringing orders to customers in their cars and hanging a plastifc serving tray onthe driver's window. At the Weber's in Stratford, some waitressesx work on wheels, rollerskatiny to serve burgersand shakes. The Weber's restaurantds are single-story sheds with sprawlingh roofing that extends into theparking lot. Inside, the kitchens are small but efficient, with just enoug room to servefood quickly. The structurex are older and the machines that mix the homemadse root beer are justas old.
Little has changed since the Weber's first Little is likely to change, and don't expec t to see more Weber's opening because New Jersety no longerlicenses drive-in eateries. All of the existing restaurantds areowned separately, run by different families. The ownerds know of each other, but do not collaborate on advertising, marketing or coupons. Further hampering the businesses cannot expand theire hours much or theiroperating season. Each store runs from the sprin throughthe fall, staying open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., maybs later if patrons are stilll parked inthe lot.
The families work six or sevenh daysa week, and put in 12- to 15-hour "If I could, I'd have a hundredf of them," said Mike Mascarelli, owner of the Weber's on Route 38 in Pennsauken. "j can't expand the number, only the one that's already Given the many limits on growth andthe competition, how do thesr businesses manage to thrive? Mostly, they have to rely on theidr reputations for delivering on taste, theirr clean kitchens and friendly service. All three Weber'x were founded by the same men.
It was 1924 when Marianb Garrison and Axel Kjellman moved the original restaurant ftom the Black Horse Pike in Audubon to its current location on Route 130 innearby Brooklawn. Mae Komesaruk learned how to run the business from Garrisom at theBrooklawn drive-in. She went on to teacbh another former owner, Joe Juliano, how to run the one now in Eventually, Komesaruk owned and operated the Stratford-baserd Weber's, located behind the Lindenwold High SpeedsLine station. After Juliano his nephew, Mike bought the establishment with his wife Susah and alongtime employee, Thomas Devereaux.
Befores this, Mascarelli owned three athletic footwear storesw and felt squeezed when big businessesmovedc in. "I lived two blocks away from the drive-ib as a kid, and I hung around here a Mascarelli said. "I saw how the operations were So for the pastfour years, he's carries on with the business in the same way it was passedr down to him. The root beer is still homemadre and no food isever precooked. "We can get 36 cars all eatinf at thesame time," Mascarelli said. "Yoyu don't wait any longer than three minutesw foryour food. The girl gets the it's on the grill and in two minuteas it's out to the car.
Come here on a sunnyt Saturday and watch howit goes. You'd be amazed. I know I was as a Instead of expanding the numberof stores, they've expanded the volume of customersx by keeping the place scrupulously clean and then letting their reputation carruy the load. In Pennsauken, Mascarelli cleands the parking lot twice a day and scrubsa it with ammonia and soap oncea week. Mascarellu did not reveal exact revenues, but he added that sales have increasedc between 10 percent and 15 percenteach year. On a busy day, he can go throughg 600 hamburger rolls.
"We've done the same thing for so many that's the only thing we can do," Mascarelli "We try to stay open a little bit longer. But we realluy don't want to extend the seasob longer, because after working 15 hours a day for eighftmonths straight, I need some time off with my Word-of-mouth is typically the only way to find new customers for the "We get customers who come in here and ask how long we'vse been here," Komesaruk said. "And I `Wake up! We've been here 41 years.
'"