Franchise History
Zesto Drive-In restaurants was started by entrepreneur and inventor
L.A.M. Phelan, of
Broaster
Company fame, as a national franchise chain with locations from
coast tocoast.
The first Zesto in Evansville, IN
opened in 1949 on
FranklinStreet, the second in Evansville opened on Boonville
Highway, and the third Zesto opened on Riverside.
The chain was
especially popular in big cities such as Atlanta, GA
, Columbia,
SC
, Kansas City,
KS
, Louisville,
KY
, etc., but it was also a staple in many small
towns, such as Greensboro and Concord, NC and other communities in
the south and midwest. Over time, thefranchise vanished
leaving several Zesto Drive-Ins around the country, but now they
are all locally owned and operated by different people. The
franchise died young, but the name lives on.
Zesto on Riverside
Zesto Drive-In’s grand opening was on August 24, 1952. The
restaurant is located at 920 E.
Riverside in Evansville, IN, which is downtown. It is only a few blocks
from the
Ohio River and five miles from
the Indiana and Kentucky border. It was founded by Harold and
Howard Knoles.
After several ownerships, Tom Hardesty bought the restaurant in
1971 and became the new owner andoperator for the next twenty six
years. Tom thought that he had lost hisrestaurant on January 6,
1985 when the gas grill’s grease caught on
fireleaving the restaurant in flames. With Tom's determination and
the help of hisfamily, Zesto reopened as good as new, in the summer
of 1985.
Zesto is a family “mom and pop” restaurant, which was great for Tom
because hehad eleven children who all worked there. Tom formed a
partnership with hisson, Dan Hardesty, in 1986. Twelve years later
Tom retired, passing on hisownership to his son in
1998. Dan Hardesty and his family currentlyown Zesto on
Riverside and hope to keep the locally popular restaurant of
fiftyfive years, and family business of thirty six years, running
strongly for many more years tocome.
Originality
Zesto Drive-Ins are typical fast food restaurants of the "50s". To
purchase food or treats, you walk up to the outside window and
place your order. There are benches and picnic tables located
outside around the building, but most people just take the food to
go. Sometimes, a dining room is available also.
Menu Items
Zesto serves a wide variety of food. Some of the menu items include
quarterpound hamburgers, crinkle cut french fries, cheese sticks,
homemade chili, friedshimp, chicken strips, battered onion rings,
corn dogs, and fish sandwiches.Although food is served, Zesto is
known for its unique icecream. The ice cream is soft served and
made with low fat cream. You canorder traditional ice cream cones,
have them dipped in chocolate, rolled intwinkle kote (candy
coating), or try one of the eight flavors of flavor burst. Zesto is
famous for its banana splits, hot fudge or fruit flavor sundaes,
and homemade, hand blended milkshakes.
Community
Zesto is known locally around the tri state area and tries to stay
active inthe community. Throughout the year, Zesto donates food and
treats, to localschools, churches, and organizations. Some schools
receive “free ice cream cone”cards to give to their students for
good grades.
References
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