Do you remember Mundell’s Drive-In?

by Darryl Wilkinson

A publisher I know once confessed that, as a youth, he and his brother made a game of submitting letters to be printed in the Kansas City Star. A number of times he was successful. So, it doesn’t strike me particularly strange to admit how Liz and I have submitted items or jokes to Readers’ Digest, thinking what we could share was as good or better than some that are published. Besides, the cash they offer is a good motivator.

Liz is a faithful subscriber. The stack of old Digests in our bedroom just beyond her night table nearly reaches the ceiling! So, image my surprise when she poked me awake one night last week, exclaiming “We made it!”

Surprise turned into chagrin, since “our” item was printed among the goofs entitled “Classify This.” Evidently, we once (I hope only once) printed a “Help Wanted” ad that read: “Chuck Anderson Ford-Mercury is looking for new and used salespeople.” Although the copy originated from Hamilton’s newspaper office, the North Missourian got the credit since we share and then print classifieds from four neighboring newspapers in one common section.

So, I guess now we’re “somebody” in the publishing business, right?

Mistakes happen; it’s just part of our business. But I never get used to them, although I suppose it could be worse. After all, a mistake is what a lawyer gets paid for …and a doctor buries!

****

Guess what was featured in the 2004 Winter Visitors’ Guide serving Colorado River communities in the Lake Havasu City, AZ, area?

Mundell’s Drive-In.

If that doesn’t ring a bell with you, then you’re not old enough to remember Gallatin’s first drive-in restaurant. It’s been nearly 40 years since Bob and Norma Mundell were flippin’ hamburgers in Gallatin. Their drive-in was located on South Main Street, in a little building south of the old skating rink and tavern building (property now owned by Spence Elbert).

Patt Tolen shared a copy of the publication’s feature story about his good friends. The Mundells left Gallatin before Liz and I arrived, although I can recall how Gene and Lee Morris operated the drive-in for a time (as well as the Koffee Kup Cafe on the square), and Gary Swofford had a Mexican food stand there for a brief period of time. Then, more recently, Linda Ellis had a beauty shop there. Today the building stands vacant.

Some people speculate on whether a franchise like Sonic could make a go of it in Gallatin somewhere along Highway 6. Others dream about a drive-through addition on a new or existing service station. But, for a time, Gallatin had what others wanted — Mundell’s Drive-In.

The Mundells retired from their business in 1992; Bob passed away at age 77. Although many, like me, never met the Mundells, many still living here in Gallatin do remember Gallatin’s first drive-in and the people who operated it. The following is a reprint of that feature article, written by visitors’ guide writer Mary Reynolds, revealing how a “home grown” business got away:

The first time Bob and Norma Mundell saw the desert southwest it was through a promotional video showing the Nautical Inn, the creation of golf courses and how the utilities were being developed. It was 1965 and Lake Havasu City wasn’t incorporated yet; the developers were just looking for people with pioneering blood, willing to relocate to a fledgling town.

“One night I was working with my friend, La Rue Myers, in Mundell’s Drive-In in Gallatin, Missouri, and a radio ad came on inviting us to fly to beautiful Lake Havasu City,” said Norma. “It sounded so good that we called!”

The Mundells gathered six of their friends together to view a presentation by Maj Creason, who flew out from Kansas City as a sales representative for MCO Properties, owned by Robert P. McCulloch Sr. The promotion was intriguing, so Bob and Norma booked a flight in August of that year — the first airplane flight Norma had ever experienced — and the plane was booked solid.

“We landed at the airport on the Island,” said Norma. “When we stepped off the plane it was like a blast from Hades. We had never experienced that kind of heat before. We were bussed to the Nautical Inn, then to the Havasu Hotel for a dinner buffet.”

The representatives at MCO Properties knew the Mundells were in the restaurant business and had their eye on them for opening up the city’s first drive-in café.

“We met Ray Thomas who was in charge of commercial sales,” said Bob. “He told us they needed a drive-in because there was nothing for kids to do in Lake Havasu City. He said if we moved to town to set up our drive-in, he would help us do it.”

Which turned out to be an understatement.

The Mundells did buy a residential lot during the ‘McCulloch Flight’ but in order to build a drive-in and have a home, Thomas traded the Mundells his house in Lake Havasu City for a piece of land in Gallatin — sight unseen for both.

“Ray left the key to his house with the neighbor — one of the first houses built in town, and we have lived here ever since,” said Norma.

The actual move occurred in October 1967, which shocked the small community of Gallatin since the Mundell’s Drive-In was the first of its kind there, too. The entire town came out in force the day they left, unsure of what to do with themselves.

“Seven of us caravanned out west together,” said Norma. “Bob’s mom (Grandma Tilly), our daughter Linda, her husband Doug and their child and our other daughter Beverly. Our son, Lynn, stayed in Missouri to attend the university.”

When the Mundells arrived in Lake Havasu City, their restaurant was not quite finished because it was hunting season and most of the town was shut down in honor of it. The drive-in finally opened one month later, where for 25 years it was well known for the famous “Bobby Burger.”

“Our specialty was our hamburgers,” said Bob, who would still not reveal the ingredients of his namesake. “It’s a trade secret, but it was mostly famous because it was handled with a lot of TLC.”

The Mundell’s Drive-In became the place to hang out for kids of all ages, including the vintage car clubs and tourists. In the early days, the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club stopped by and one of them had the audacity to put his feet up on the table. Norma marched up to him and scolded him for his manners and he apologetically removed them post-haste.

Some parents would drop their kids off at the drive-in for the Mundells to baby-sit. “We had strict rules and the kids respected them,” said Norma. “We raised quite a few people’s kids and we loved every minute of it.”

Norma said during the first year in Lake Havasu City she and Bob could close the drive-in early and go fishing on the dock at the Nautical Inn. They could count the number of city lights on the horizon, but their leisure did not last long. Within a short amount of time they couldn’t get out of the restaurant before the wee hours of the morning because it was the only place for kids to go.

“They would visit, drink pop and eat chips most of the evening,” said Norma. “If we had closed down the grill or cleaned out the ice cream machine and a family stopped by because they were hungry, we would start everything back up again and feed them. We never turned anyone away who said they hadn’t eaten.”

Which also meant in the early days they were a stopping point for transients who passed through town. Bob said they would spend one night, get fed and move on the next day. One year, a transient stayed at their restaurant at night as a watchman, after they had been vandalized twice, and the experience helped him get his life back on track.

“We always fed them a Bobby Burger, shake and fries,” said Bob. “And we never had a problem with them.”

There have been a lot of fond memories the Mundells reminisce — like the time a woman in labor would not go to the hospital until she was ready to deliver, so she paced at the drive-in, drinking milkshakes after Norma had already shut things down. Norma simply opened everything back up again until the woman was ready to be transported to the hospital.

There were the neighborhood canines that, according to Bob, came to order on their own. One would bark in his owner’s car until she brought him an ice cream cone — and if he didn’t get one he would tear up the seat. They also remember the dog that came to the counter and put his paws on it until he got something to eat — he had heard the Mundells didn’t turn anyone away.

Maybe the fondest memory of all came from the cancer patients who received free protein shakes from Norma — she had them delivered to sick people who couldn’t leave their homes.

Although the Mundells own kids were out of school by the time they moved to Lake Havasu City, the girls — Linda and Beverly — worked the restaurant whenever the Relics & Rods Run to the Sun or other events required extra hands.

“My friends and I became car hops for the night,” said Bev. “I dreaded the work, but I loved the vintage cars!”

“My son was three-months-old when we moved here,” said Linda. “When we got busy we would toss him toys in the playpen, — and sometimes bury him — and everyone watched over him as we worked.”

Both of them were quick to say that the drive-in wasn’t a job — it was a way of life. “My kids could make change before they could do other things,” remarked Linda.

Mundell’s Drive-In has a special place in the hearts of those who grew up there and have returned with their own kids.

“I was one of the kids who got into trouble a lot,” said Teddy Kilpatrick, a local business owner who also does religious outreach for the community. “I was a little guy and once when I was out back of the drive-in Bob picked me up by the scuff of the neck and scolded me about keeping the place clean. I never forgot the things he said to me.”

Dee Young, a 38-year resident, whose husband was minister of the First Southern Baptist Church for 20 years spoke of Mundell’s Drive-In like it was the community center. “Everybody went to the drive-in for fellowship,” said Dee. “The Mundells were such kind, generous people. One time they created a banana split for our youth group that had to have been about 12-feet long and I think it was built in one of those aluminum gutters to hold all the ice cream. They donated it all for free — they always helped with that kind of stuff.” Mundell’s Drive-in was located on Mesquite Avenue in the spot Desert Ray Motors now occupies. It used to be that you could look across the vacant lot and see Wheeler Park where all the burros would gather for a drink from the fountain. And it was also the place a few famous faces liked to stop by, like Dan Blocker, from Bonanza, who ordered three-four Bobby Burgers at a time; the Ink Spots; Jack Morgan & the Russ Morgan Orchestra, would also eat there after doing a concert.

“We were only broken into twice in 25 years,” said Bob. “The first time they emptied the freezer and took cases of cups. The second time, they tried to start a fire, but it didn’t burn. It was kids, and they took candy from the drive-in, so we followed the candy wrappers all the way to the school bus and caught them.”

The Mundells retired in May 1992 for health reasons, but the drive-in was not sold to another restaurant owner. “No one would have survived there because Mom and Dad spoiled everyone,” said Bev.

Upon hearing it was closing down, a customer from San Francisco called requesting the Mundells freeze a bunch of Bobby Burgers so he could come down and get them.

“Some people even wanted to make this place a historical site,” said Norma.

By the time Mundell’s Drive-In closed its doors, several franchise and private fast-food drive-ins had established themselves in Lake Havasu City. But none have earned the reputation for the marvelous food, the generosity, and the kindness the Mundells are know for.

At the request of several vintage car club members, the Mundells reprinted their 25th Anniversary T-shirt commemorating the closing of the Drive-In. Anyone interested in purchasing a T-shirt can call 928-855-2490; sizes are medium, large and x-large for $18-$20.

Bob Mundell passed away at the age of 77 in his home in Lake Havasu City. Bob was born in Gallatin, Missouri, in 1925, and married his wife Norma in 1946. At the time, Bob was in the Navy as a gunner on a merchant supply ship (during World War II) and stationed at Treasure Island in California. When Bob joined the Navy he wasn’t out of high school yet, so his teacher said she would graduate him if he would write his parents once a week, recite the 23rd Psalm every day and keep a travel log of where he went as a sailor.

Norma met Bob on leave in 1945 when they happened to cross paths while visiting a paraplegic friend named “Junior.” They dated for a month before they became engaged and Bob had to return to his station. Norma followed Bob after her sister suffered a broken rib and needed some loving care while recuperating.

When Norma and Bob married, the law required parental consent of anyone under the age of 21 years; Bob was only 20 at the time, and the telephone company was on strike, so they had to go to a chaplain for permission. Norma went to San Francisco to get their marriage license and they were married in Sacramento at her sister’s house.

In the first year together, Norma had an appendectomy and Bob had a bout of scarlet fever requiring quarantine. “I knew if we made it those first six months, we would always make it,” said Norma. The Mundells were married 57 years.

After the Navy, Bob worked out of his father’s electric shop in Gallatin, Missouri for two decades and Norma was a social worker for the child welfare department. Together they had three children (including a set of twins) — Beverly, Lynn and Linda.

Eventually, Bob wanted a change in life so he went into the restaurant business as Mundell’s Drive-In. When Bob’s father passed away, he needed to make a decision to continue his father’s retail store or remain in the food industry. At the time, Norma was already working two jobs — for child welfare and the restaurant — and they wanted to put all their energy into the drive-in, so they moved to Lake Havasu City to start anew.

The last bash at Mundell’s Drive-In occurred in May 1992 when Norma and Bob closed in favor of retirement. For 25 years the drive-in was a central gathering place for thousands of people and became a significant memory for those who grew up in its shadow.