If Little Leaguers of today were afforded the perks of lavish player contracts, one demand would certainly include Stewart's hot dogs and cold root beer after each game. As a kid myself, we always begged our folks to stop at Stewart's after our games. Growing up in Woodbridge we all enjoyed this iconic eatery once located on Amboy Avenue.
The first Stewart's Drive-In was opened by Frank Stewart in 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio. Stewart opened up a small stand to make extra money in the summer to supplement his income as a school teacher. The restaurant was originally a west coast style fast food eatery serving only root beer and popcorn. He added extra salt to his popcorn to boost his root beer sales. He eventually opened up more locations, many of them with carhops.
Our Woodbridge franchise served the community until the mid eighties; demolished and replaced with a Wawa mini mart. Recently, Anna Ladjack shared with me her fond memories of when she was in charge of the kitchen for fourteen years. A period of time that she recalls with great admiration for those that she worked with, calling them all "her kids". "Each and every one of them was polite, respectful and responsible" recalled Anna. Many of them were our fellow WHS classmates that signed up for part time work in the kitchen or as the infamous "carhops".
Back then, on a typical summer day, Stewart's would sell in excess of six hundred hot dogs.Call it nostalgia, however for me, root beer and a good chili hot dog has never lived up to those we once enjoyed at our own orange drive-in haven called Stewart's.
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