“In busy times of today, it’s good to be able to slow down - to have a place to go that it’s not rush, rush, rush. “You need to make sure you keep the quality in the food and don’t try to push the food out too fast and cause the food to not be as good.”īusiness hasn’t slowed for the Red Rabbit since the start of the pandemic, and along with limited dining options then Berger acknowledges the role that nostalgia also plays in the business’s success. When someone places an order, their burger then goes on the grill,” Berger said, noting that the fast-food model might work for others, but his grandparents, then his parents, and now he never found that the way to go. “With their experience with carhop service, they figured that was the way to go and to identify themselves,” Berger said.īerger mused over the Red Rabbit’s success where others have not survived locally, including the chain Sonic. They purchased the building that houses the Red Rabbit, which had been a local chain called Distelfink - named for the Amish Hex sign of a bird - a sandwich and ice cream shop with no inside seating, and just a walk-up window with picnic tables outside. Berger’s grandparents opened the Red Rabbit in 1964 after his grandfather and his brothers had operated the BBQ Cottage (and had worked at the former Blue Pig at the same location), carhop restaurants in Harrisburg. “It’s amazing to think when my grandparents opened in 1964 and chose carhops over a dining room that that would have positioned us to weather the pandemic so well,” said Sam Berger, a third generation Sam running the business.īerger - who goes by Sammy at the restaurant since his father is also Sam - started working at the Red Rabbit as a teenager, then took it over from his parents in 2017 after serving in the military and working other jobs. The Red Rabbit continued to operate with takeout, bringing back trays and picnic tables when things opened up a bit. As one might imagine, this was a hot spot to be during the otherwise dining-out drudgery of 2020 when many restaurants were shut down temporarily, then limited in capacity. Here, curbhops - otherwise known as carhops - still come to the car to take orders, then serve the fare on a tin tray that attaches to the car window. Most famous, perhaps, is the Red Rabbit, a third-generation, 1950s-style drive-in restaurant located on Route 322, a half-mile west of the Clarks Ferry Bridge over the Susquehanna River. For those not willing to sit through an auction to find a bargain or a connection to the past, the Old Sledworks in Duncannon promises shoppers can “buy back your memories.” With car shows and an Antique Auto Museum (AACA) in Hershey, the area also has demand for car restorations, and can provide that, too, at Horsepower Enterprises in Lancaster.įrom Bunny Burgers to nearly unlimited flavors of hand-dipped ice cream and malted shakes, foodies can satisfy their nostalgic urges at several old-time eateries in the region. The Harrisburg area is also fortunate to have several roller rinks still in action offering throwback music parties and roller derby leagues. Some evenings, three auctions are taking place at a time in the sprawling auction house, some of which was a former roller rink. Haar’s Drive-In in Dillsburg is known both for its drive-in movie theater and its auction house. Story and Photo by Deborah planning day trips this summer, why not add a trip down memory lane to the itinerary? The Harrisburg region can provide nostalgia that will please the young and old alike with everything from collectibles to comforting food and ice cream to fun family events.
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