This little burger place in West St. Paul played a big part in my childhood. My friends and I would meet here before going up to the Cina 4 Theater to see a weekend matinee for $1.
The old guy knew all of us by name and would comp us a nickel sometimes if we came up short. He’d always wink as he dropped a couple extra fries in the fryer for us. It always made us feel like big shots.
We’d sit at the little tables and talk about all the things that were important to ten-year-old boys in the late 1970s—Star Wars, baseball, comic books, trading cards, riding bikes, kick-the-can, climbing trees, girl germs . . .
You know, important stuff.
Today, I went and had a final burger. The restaurant is going to be demolished to become a Dunkin’ Donuts, I hear. I’m sad about that, but sometimes things need to change to make way for a better future.
It’s just up to us to make sure that future is worthy of the things we need to destroy to get there.
Take a look at my other Reflections posts.