American Graffiti and the History of Mel's Drive In!

Is there anything more iconic than the classic American drive-in? Nothing beats sitting in your car and ordering up a burger and fries, or soup, or salad, or cole slaw, or potato salad, or......you get it. But there's one drive-in that stands above them all, and that towering behemoth is named Mel's.

Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs founded Mel's Drive-In in 1947 in San Francisco, California. From there the franchise spread and in 1972 became the location for George Lucas' American Graffiti. The location used in the film was at 140 South Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. With the rise of Lucas' success, and the help of a little indie movie called Star Wars, American Graffiti and Mel's Drive-In were launched into stardom.

It wasn't all glitz and glamour, though... In 1994 a family rift caused the Weisses to part ways and form two chains. The elder Weiss sold his company to Larry Spergel, who formed a group of about 50 stockholders that now owns the chain.

But to this day you can channel your inner American nostalgia and head over to one of several Mel's Drive-In locations. Grab a malt, bring quarters for the jukebox, and rock around the clock!

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