Their burgers, fries, and shakes were to me better than McDonalds, and Burger A day of infamy. Used to frequent the Wetsons in Pine Brook, NJ. Things just seemed so different back in 70s. Wow great time in my life worked at Westons lake grove during high school many great memories, There was also a Wetsons on Northern Blvd. We still talk about it. I worked at that older Wetsons in Valley Stream in the early1970s after the new one opened west of that one also on Sunrise Hwy, but on the corner of Rockaway Pkwy. Small world. There was a place across from the school that had great little burgers at the counter. Im pretty sure the Wetsons in Glen Cove was demolished to make room for Noah's Ark 48 reviews Closed Now American $$ - $$$ Menu "Travelled to Teaneck and had dinner." "Great food - though you have to wait" 3. Gino's Hamburgers was opened by football hall-of-famer Gino Marchetti, in 1957. Use to live on the Wetson and White Castle burgers that were across the street from one another on the border of where Hempstead met West Hempstead. Hey you. I lived on 194th street and Northern Blvd ,I remember Watsons before they built in and they were giving away free hamburger coupons the week before it opened they were the best better than McDonalds wish they were around now !!! I biked 3 miles each way. I vaguely remember one location in Brooklyn where Bushwick Avenue and Highland Blvd crossed each other. Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. is a chain of double drive-thru restaurants in the United States. Wikipedia - ( report) This is a breif history of the Wetson's chain. It was torn down and turned into a carpet store and still was before I left for the Navy in 82. Brooklyn, Location Empire Blvd corner of Utica Avenue across from White Castle and Cheverlet Car Dealership.Best Vanilla Shakes in the world. The one in Hicksville is still there well the structure is.You can still see the rings.I pass it almost every day. Next town going East is Valley Stream. Hi Keith, Do you know why the rings on the roof were raised? Elmhurst, NY Queens Boulevard (Route 25) and Woodhaven Boulevard (demolished) PLEASE ADD $3.99 FOR U.S. MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE USA I remember stopping by the Wetson's in Far Rockaway, Queens,NYC with my parents..near where my grandparents had a summer place during the early 1960's. I enjoyed eating their burgers, fries and sodas. I remember the location on Boston Ave. and Pembroke (I think). THIS IS SHRINKWRAPPED TO STURDY FOAMBOARD. There were a bunch of kiddie rides next door. I worked at the Syosset Wetsons on Jericho Turnpike in 1966. Load kids up in station wagon. I grew up on 47th St in the late 60s and 70s. Cove theater on Glen St. Taught teamwork but the manager liked to drink at the bar directly in back of the store. We went to the one in Elmhurst, NY on Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard. Anyone remember the Westons sponsored race care at Freeport Speedway in 1960s- orange and black I believe. I was just a kid, & he would make me go on a separate line than he, to use the the coupons. Later on a putt putt went up not far from there. Bethpage, NY Hempstead Tnpk and Rt. What a great resource! It was the first one I had ever seen. Youre right on that. While I was working there MacDonald opened down the block. specially garnished, and served with Tartar Sauce on a tasty hot Bun. I remember a Wetsons in Levittown, NY, on the North side of Hempstead Turnpike in the late 50s and early 60s. This was when time were great! When they were there it was almost the same on the outside the Orange RIngs and the White Tiled exterior (Just added a Titus Oaks sign on the front where the old WETSONS sign used to be). I lived one block from that location, on E 59th St. They specialize in hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and milkshakes. There were two in the Bay Shore area, one on Sunrise Highway opposite the South Shore Mall and the other one on Sunrise Highway on the border of West Islip and Bay Shore. Theres a strip shopping center on the site now. I remember Wetsons at Sunrise and Horton Ave. Am I wrong? We usually went to the one on Sunrise Highway in West Islip, NY. White Manna 329 reviews Open Now American, Diner $ 1.0 mi Hackensack "The burgers were good." "Order ahead" 2. Google+ 0. My moms little dog loved Wetsons. Worked at the Freeport location in the early 60s. Carl is still in good health and still drives his hot rods! Agreed Jim, It wasnt on Rockaway at Sunsrise Highway, it was on Brooklyn Ave at the intersection Sunrise Highway across the street from Dunkin Donuts. Remember it very well. So much better than Mac Ds and BK. Or search your favorite genre. The total years of both and they are still selling burgers and fries at that location. The restaurants history is brief, slayed mercilessly during the fast food wars of the 1970s. YEAH REMEMBER THAT CRAZY BANK AT SOUTH SHORE MALL AND REMEMBER WETSONS WAS A TREAT TO GET MISS THAT. Tony Packo's chili dogs Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr Born there in November 1964. the world hasnt been the same since. & Pine St. Im from CT and trying to confirm that there was a Wetsons in Bridgeport CT on South Park Avenue next to Railroad Avenue. The Food Was Excellent. It had orange colors there way back.. No, All American was custom built for All American. The restaurant copied many of the same slogans, including "Look for the Orange Circles," and even used a clown as the mascot. Far Rockaway,NY Beach Channel Drive (converted to KFC) Small donations are always appreciated to help keep our informational archive afloat. I too used to eat at the Bethpage location in the 60s. Over the next decade, Wetsons expanded over much of the Northeast, opening over 70 locations across New Jersey, Connecticut, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and yes, Long Island. Wetson's Hamburger Chain, a familiar site in the area from 1959 until 1975. Their burgers were good & their fries were the best! gtjoey1314. Yes, the former Giants and Jets punter (RIP, Dave). Unfortunately, McDonalds and Burger King had both grown significantly, with each vying to capture the majority of the New York market. We had a Wetson s on Woodhaven /Cross Bay Bvd at Liberty Av. 29;000 pounds of meat, which is. At its peak the Wetson's chain comprised over 70 restaurants. Their used to be one located in Lynbrook LINY. and Astor Pl. I might take that 30 mile drive tomorrow. My father owned the wetsons in hempstead.also the wetsons in Franklin square.the only picture Ive seen of a wetsons has a sunbeam alpine parked in the parking lot.that picture is the hempstead store and that car belonged to my father. The burgers were 15-cents and could be bought by the bagful, while the fries, made from hand-peeled potatoes, cost a whole dime. We went undefeated in 71-72. At times I would be getting a higher rate than some employees that had been there a few years. Youd throw whole potatoes into a large grating machine. Unforgettable burger. Burgers & Fries pickles & dehydrated onions also. I used to love their fries and Strawberry shakes, let alone their burgers. Used to go to that one almost every other day. Defunct 1970 Wetson's Hamburger Restaurant New York Metropolitan Classic T-Shirt. I remember the one in Teaneck, N.J. Years later I had the pleasure of meeting Errol Wetson one night at Au Bar in New York City, N.Y. A perfect gentleman with so much charisma! I was only paid $1.75/hour but ate real good. I worked at that store as my first paying job. Thanks for this. I am sitting here in Long Beach (CA that is) and the name just popped inot my head. Only far out on Long Island, I would go to the Huntington Station, NY Wetsons on Route 110 I think it was replaced by a McDonalds. Except I do remember the manager Gus was constantly scolding any of the customers who had there feet up on the benches of the eating booths. The Jamaica location is now a fruit stand, assuming youre talking about the location that was at Hillside Avenue and Hollis Court Blvd. Born September 13, 1940, passed away peacefully June 6 in Florida with his loving wife, Viviane by his side. in Rego Park, Aug. 17, 1972. The Old Country Road/Hicksville Wetsons eventually became a store that sold used and new records & tapes. THE BEST FOR ME. Had a ball working there. bands gold crest emblazoned on the jacket. Happy days for real! PS: Graffiti in the Employees restroom, Flush twice, its a long way to the kitchen. I know, because my Mom took me there after my Little League games during the week. I went to the one in Valley Stream and YES they were the BEST BURGERS! List of defunct fast-food restaurant chains, "Glimpse of History: 'Look for the orange circles' in Montville", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wetson%27s&oldid=1124599178, Defunct fast-food chains in the United States, Defunct restaurant chains in the United States, 1975 disestablishments in New York (state), New York (state) articles missing geocoordinate data, Articles missing coordinates without coordinates on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 November 2022, at 14:57. Thank you for any help you can provide. I hope national foods do come back with the same taste as the past . My aunt used be be one of the roller skate girls who delivered your meal on a car window tray, back in the Bronx in the 1950s. As we were enjoying our fries a bunch of young toughs came in , asked if they could have some of our fries and ride our bikes. As soon as it was finished, we would cut out on Fridays to buy lunch there. Think White Castle in Hempstead was the only other fast food burger place around at the time. With White Castle serving as their only real competition, the pair opened their first Wetsons location. Danbury, CT, White Street Twitter 0. Wetson's was a chain of eateries in the greater New York metropolitan area that, at . Mine was: Valley Stream, NY Sunrise Highway at Rockaway Ave. (demolished). I remember they had fried chicken and when they decided to go out of business they offered a bucket of chicken for $1 so my parents must have bought 10 and stuck them in the freezer we were eating that fried chicken for a long time. The fries were made the right way peeled in a electric cylinder cut length wise placed in tub of water over night, next day drain them dry, baste them a couple minutes 600 degrees of lard. Hazlet, NJ State Highway 36 (demolished) TO ANTHONY BARBA: hope you got the details right. After the record store closed it stayed like that for awhile when it was vacant but the new people (Dunkin Donuts???) Whatever happened to that? The chain was operating over 100 restaurants by 1985, but after filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, by 1987 the company sold 90% of its locations to Hardee's and soon rebranded. I dont remember how the food tasted, but I remember I liked it and was sorry when the store closed down. My fiance, who became my wife loved Wetsons. We would drive there from Northport high school during lunch. Discover designs just for you. Wetsons had Onion rings, and for dessert they had apple pie, that was pretty much apple pie filling, fried in an eggroll casing. Thanks for the memories. Whether that suggests a comeback in the works, I dont know and Ill leave the speculating to others online. Really wish I had a time machine. After a name change (to Music Arcade), the store went out of business. The following is a list of notable current and former fast food restaurant chains, as distinct from fast casual restaurants (see List of casual dining restaurant chains), coffeehouses (see List of coffeehouse chains), ice cream parlors (see List of ice cream parlor chains), and pizzerias (see List of pizza chains). I really miss that place. 36, we would fill the station wagon, all 7 of us and enjoy a very memorable experience. what great memories.back when there actually WAS a music scene!!! I recall the restaurant managers name was Gus, with a very long Greek surname that I cant recall exactly. The other Wetsons was located on the corner of east Sunrise Highway & Penataquit Avenuealso in Bay Shore, located directly across from South Shore Mall. Wish I could take my kids w me and show them how it used to be. They were much better than Jack In The Box! I lived one block away. Am I the only one who remembers the Westons location on Flatlands Ave & Ralph Ave in Canarsie Brooklyn or am I mistaken. They were behind the old A&S and a little west. There was a rifle range in the middle school cellar and kids would have their rifles on the school buses bringing them to practice there. There was also locations on Flatlands Ave next to South Shore High School in Brooklyn as well as Church Ave and Remsen Ave in Brooklyn. We were so disappointed when they closed. Wetsons Hamburgers Assembled Perma-Scene This is the N Scale IMEX Perma-Scene Built-Up Wetson's Building. My favorite Wetsons meal was a Super Burger and their fries. Ive just learned about Wetsons and love the architecture of the buildings. I remember the one at the corner of Oceanside Rd and Sunrise Hwy in Rockville Centre. Bay Shore, NY, on the corner of where Penataquit Ave & Sunrise Hwy meet. I remember getting hamburger, fries and coke for less than $.50, I was just telling my wife about Wetsons at Queens Blvd ans Woodhaven Blvd. In 1975 Wetson's fast-food restaurants were converted into Nathan's Famous restaurants. With help from his family, Wetanson opened the first Wetson's in 1959. That was before there were any McDonalds in Queens. Bute, a.k.a. All American made. The pics brought it all back. Made tons of them. A Wetsons Hamburger restaurant would be a nice alternative. Today it is the site of Valley Stream Honda Pre Owned. I remember there being an enclosed foot bridge from the main mall over to a store called..I think..Gertz? That was in 1971 1972. 6 Dee's Drive Inn Posted by unclekipsy at 1:26 pm (PST) on Mon November 10, 2014 ; Mom would take us to Wetson's..somewhere in Queens. that is correct. Hamburgers were 15 cents at that time. $23.95 . what was inside of those burgers was not the best meat but it tasted so good. Nothing like the 70s ,Bellerose, N.Y. I also had the pleasure of meeting Errol Wetson at Au Bar in NYC on night. George's Burgers has been serving delicious food since 1993. We used a tumbler/peeler to peel the potatoes for the fries, while the new one used frozen fries. Each stand featured rows of bright orange circles on the roof, and offered a walk-up window and outdoor seating only. And don't forget to download our app for restaurant info like hours, menu, nutrition, and exclusive deals. add malt to any shake .50 +120 Cal. Any suggestions??? Thanks for sharing, My dad woul take us there on Fridays about 4:00pm, as soon as he got off work and had the 65 panel truck loaded up to head upstate to the cabin. There was a bank there for a while, then a daycare center. The strip was on the new 4 lane highway to the garbage incinerator at Bar Beach where our strip was. Garnish as desired and serve immediately. Corner Bakery Cafe is considered to be a part of the fast casual market segment of the food service industry, offering a somewhat higher quality of food and atmosphere than a typical fast food restaurant, and . Owner Wetenson, had 2 sons. The one shes lists was @ 144th St. and Hillside Ave. I loved the Wetsons in Franklin Square, directly in front of St. Catherine of Sienna SchoolI will never forget a Friday after school when a bunch of us went there for hamburgers, and being caught leaving there by three of the Dominican Sistersboy did we get in trouble! There was another Wetsons on Staten Island, on Richmond Ave and the Pathmark shopping Center. Im guessing that it was on 47th or 48th ave & 210th or 211th st. Incidentally, anyone out there remember the Dairly Maid Ice Cream parlor which was on Francis Lewis Blvd.? One day the cashier asked if he should put it all in a separate bag. The one on old country road became a record shop for awhile. This has been an ongoing disagreement for years. I am sooooo much better off for it today. then after DD remodeled the place the rings were removed. At its peak, Wetson's had approximately 70 locations in the greater New York metropolitan area. The meat patties once thawed were a gray-greenish color. I was just telling my husband that one of my best memories of Brooklyn was going to Wetsons with my godbrothers, godparents and my parents. Compare Wetsons to McDonalds Wetsons used to sell real fried chicken while McDonalds sold chicken mcnuggets. I havent been back to the old neighborhood in a while. Wish they would bring it back.. Havent heard those names in years. LOL!!! I went to the one in Bayshore. Fried" more Outdoor seating Delivery Takeout Start Order 8. I grew up on Astor Place and it near ruined our lovely block until it went out of business. & Sunrise Hwy. What a great experience. Best cheese burgers ever at Wetsons. yup!!!!!!!! We moved out west in 83 and felt like we moved to another planet. Funny now looking back. His elderly father would drop the fries. They had the good large diameter straws. in 1967. My mother wasnt into cooking. In 1959, the fast food giant of the West Coast, McDonalds, had yet to open any restaurants in the New York area. He couldnt read at the time so he didnt know any better. He realized the management counted the BUNS, but not the patties, and the CUPS, but not the amount of soda or shakes. Tweet Share Pin It Add Email. We used to go to one near the Crossbay Theater in Queens when we were kids. Man great memories. Wasnt it a Minute Man burger joint before that? My father would buy my sister and I burgers when he picked us up. Great memories. Does anyone remember someone selling term papers out of the wetsons on queens blvd (or maybe northern blvd) heard about if from a guy I hitched a ride with forty years ago and always wondered if it was true he made it sound like an organized going concern there. Ha d avery good friend who worked in the back of a Wetsons one summer. from Dunkin Donuts. I remember a Marine Midland branch at Mid-Island Shopping Plaza that had an ATM that would hand out cash in *any* denomination including change (via a Wendys like change dispenser). Staten Island, NY Forest Avenue (converted into an Italian deli) Wetson's Superburger Restaurant, at Sunrise Highway and Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream on May 20, 1972, was known for its 15-cent burgers and 10-cent fries. All" more The one on Sunrise and Oceanside Rd was first a Carvel then it was Josephs Hamburgers then Wetsons. In Freeport by the Freeport Theatre and the LIRR. Researched this online but cant find any info on where in Bridgeport Wetsons was located. The leaky cup! Feel free to comment on them or other long-gone burger haunts. The one in Rosedale was on Sunrise and Hook Creek. Wetsons was my first job, I was 15 and worked on 86th St and 7th Ave in Brooklyn. I was a junior at Stony Brook and lived on campus. LOVED this so much! chocolate strawberry 790 Cal. Syosset, NY, 321 Jericho Tpke (now a Burger King) It was a good time!! Grew up in Bay shore also.Loved going Wetsons with my family, and then we would hit the Carvels on the way homeIt was a treat. It also was a Nathans and an Arthur Treachers fish and chips!! Remove burgers with a sturdy metal spatula and transfer to a plate. Now it is a Honda dealership. yea the one at the end of the Clearview expressway on Hillside Ave. Is it possible there was one in Bellport as well? Hang the baskets up and cook them fresh to a golden brown. Of Hempstead Tpk,, down the road from Jolley Rodgers / Nunleys, on the north side was Pergament with McDonalds not far west down the road. Luigi terapiccio. Wetsons at the bayshore Mall was great! It Preceeded McDonalds in the Greater NY area. There was a Wetsons on Sunrise Highway in Bay Shore back in the 60s. Bellerose, Queens. behind them during recess. Last time I drove by a number of years ago the building was still there. Wish we could go back in time to do it all again and relive our youth. The tables and chairs were all over Sunrise Highway. One on Boston Avenue (US Route 1) and one on Main Street in downtown Bridgeport. Thank you very much, I remember the Wetsons in the Bronx I think there may have been one New Rochelle that was converted to a BK and noww DD. The Wetsons mentioned in Valley Stream was actually in Rosedale Queens. The hamburgers were made on the grill by Greek men who actually cooked. the one on queens blvd is where we went. I think we had a total of 43 stores when i left Wetsons. I remember the Franklin Square location well. As a kid my family always visited Howard Johnsons and the favorite place to go for a burger was Wetsons, Ah the good old days and the memories. and hmmmmm. I remember working there in the early 70s.. in Roslyn. However, on that site now, there is a Pizza Hut. The original building remained there on the site until just a few years ago. Then there was Hubie Burger with seeds on their buns. After every win we got 2 burgers fries and a soda. I recall paying 15 cents for a burger & 10 cents for fries. It was a free standing unit. This was in the early 1960s. Ah memories. Find a bunch of New Yorkers waxing nostalgic over hamburgers from the good old days and youre likely to hear Wetsons enter the conversation. I think it eventually just turned into a McDonalds maybe the McDonalds is still there? Great times and memories. .15 cent burgers at Wetsons, .12 cent burgers at White Castle(where when my father would drive up.hed roll down the window half wayand the waitress would roller skate up to the car with a tray that hung on the window)they also had a Sabaret hot dog stand that sold .25 dogs(with everything)(close by). I remember the one in Lawrence,N.Y. Parking lot was full of drag/racing kids. Thanks again! (4 star review) This time had a truck burger as did 3 others who were with me.