The Ardy & Ed's Story
Ardy & Ed’s Drive In, as the business is known today, began in 1948, shortly after World War II had ended. It was originally known as the Southside A & W Drive In, serving little more than A & W Root Beer, Hot Dogs and chips. In the late 40’s it was one of only two or three Drive In Restaurants in Oshkosh. One of the early owners was Mr. Nate Rohr, who eventually owned a number of Root Beer Stands in the Fox Valley.
In 1953 the business was purchased by Robert and Elizabeth “Ollie” Albrecht of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The Albrechts operated the drive in for 7 1/2 years. On July 1,
1960 the business was sold to Mrs. Albrecht’s son, Edward Timm, and his wife Ardythe.
The Timms operated the business as the Southside A & W Drive In until 1972. At that time the decision was made to operate as an independent drive in, and the business was renamed “Ardy & Ed’s Drive In”. They continued serving the same “Famous” draft root beer and great food as they had in the past.
After the death of Ed in 1979, Ardy continued to operate the business. Today, she runs the business with her partner and husband, Steve Davis, who began working at the restaurant in 1977. Steve was honored by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association as “Restaurateur of the Year” in 2008 for his service to the WRA and the foodservice industry.
Through the years, Ardy & Ed’s has been featured in numerous local and national publications and TV broadcasts, including 2005’s “Roker On The Road” and 2004’s “Top Five Food Innovations” on the Food Network . In 2003 we were honored to be chosen as the # 4 location on Mazda’s “Top - 10 Top Down List” of places in the USA to go in a convertible. Ardy & Ed’s was also honored to be a featured exhibit in the Oshkosh Public Museum from 1995 to 2003. In 2008, Ardy & Ed’s was featured in Roadway Transportations annual calendar “Roadside Drive Ins”. Taglichtmedia of Germany filmed scenes for an episode of their documentary “As the World Eats” at Ardy & Ed’s during the summer of 2008. The documentary is set to air in the spring or summer of 2009.
Today, Ardy, Steve, and the staff of Ardy & Ed’s strive to continue serving their customers only the best food, “Famous” draft root beer, and “Old Fashioned” fountain favorites with the same personal, friendly service which their customers have enjoyed for more than 60 years.
Calls / Scents
Posted March 25, 2008
Ardy & Ed's celebrates milestone 60th anniversary
By Doug Zellmer
of The Northwestern Troy Holland is typical of many who come for good food at one of Oshkosh's classic restaurants — Ardy & Ed's Drive-In on South Main Street.
"It's a family tradition to come here. I used to come here and get baby (root) beers where I was a kid," he said. "I've been coming here about 40 years."
Holland recently had a take-out order from Ardy & Ed's — a hot beef sandwich with french fries and homemade root beer.
"The food and the root beer is good. That's why I come here," Holland said. "The service is excellent and they keep the place absolutely spotless inside. They're always good at taking care of their customers."
Faithful customers like Holland are an integral part of the success of Ardy & Ed's Drive-In, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
It's a nostalgic drive-in with roller-skating carhops who deliver food and beverages to vehicles. There's even 1950s and 1960s music played to serenade you while waiting for your chow.
"We feel that it's an honor to be here this long and to serve the people and have the opportunity to make them happy," said Steve Davis, co-owner of Ardy & Ed's with his wife, Ardy. "We've had a lot of great employees through the years and great customers."
He said without a doubt, the reason for the drive-in's longevity is community residents have made it a part of their lives.
"That's the key. Hundreds of restaurants have come and gone during the time we've been here," Davis said. "We're part of so many people's lives, but we never have the feeling that business is guaranteed. We come in and work hard and earn people's business every year."
Roller-skating carhops, Davis said, is a tradition started about 25 years ago.
"It was back in 1983 and we had just paved the parking lot of the first time," he said. "Once that was done we had a couple of girls who liked to skate and it's been a big part of it ever since."
Davis has long-time ties with the drive-in restaurant on the city's south side.
"My first job was making root beer here when I was 15 years old and I never left," he said. "I grew up three blocks from here and I never got far from home. As a kid, it was handy. I could walk or ride my bike to work. I hung out here and used money from my paper route to order a root beer and fries."
Ardy Davis said she started working in 1957 at the drive-in when it was known as the South Side A&W. In 1960, the business was sold to the now late Edward Timm, who was the husband of Ardy. He died in 1979 and Ardy married Steve Davis in 1991.
She said "it's fantastic'' the drive-in has been so successful over the years.
"It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun," Ardy Davis said. "I wouldn't have considered to do anything else."
Steve Davis has been named the 2008 Restaurateur of the Year by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. It's the industry's top award, which was announced at the association's annual awards dinner held at the Milwaukee Art Museum on March 11 in conjunction with the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo.
Officials from the WRA said the Restaurateur of the Year is given to those who demonstrate participation and service to the restaurant association, success within their own restaurant and participation in community activities.
Davis has been a WRA member since the early 1980s and served the organization as its chairman of the board in 2005.
Doug Zellmer: (920) 426-6667 or dzellme@thenorthwestern.com.
Steve Davis Named
2008 Restaurateur of the Year
Steve Davis owner and operator of Ardy & Ed’s Drive-In, located in Oshkosh Wisconsin, was recently named Restaurateur of the Year by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. The industry’s top honor was announced at the association’s annual Awards Dinner, held at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee on March 11th in conjunction with the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo.
Steve Davis and his wife Ardy Davis own and operate Ardy & Ed’s Drive-In, a well-known Oshkosh landmark where delicious food and homemade root beer is served by carhops on roller skates.
The Restaurateur of the Year award is given to operators who demonstrate participation and service to the restaurant association, success within their own restaurant and participation in community activities. The winner is selected at a private meeting of past Restaurateur of the Year recipients and kept a secret until the official announcement at the Awards Dinner.
Like so many restaurateurs, Davis started working in the restaurant business as a youth and found himself at home in the hospitality industry.
Davis has been a Wisconsin Restaurant Association member since the early 80’s. He served as Chairman of the Board in 2005, where his steady leadership and innovative thinking have been valuable assets to the association.
Davis has represented the Wisconsin foodservice industry numerous times at the National Restaurant Association Public Affairs conference in Washington, DC. At last year’s conference, he was honored with the NRA’s Grassroots Patriot Award, receiving national recognition for his dedication to representing the industry and educating his peers on important legislative issues.
Davis is also very active and visible in his community, supporting scouting and youth programs.
Celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, Ardy & Ed’s Drive-In is a landmark nostalgic destination for tourists and locals. The Drive-In has received national attention for offering a unique dining experience. It has been profiled on the Food Network and named by Mazda as a “Top Ten Top Down” place to go in a convertible.
50 Years of "Happy Days"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - July 1998
Oshkosh - The spirit of "Happy Days" lives on at a small family owned drive-in where old-fashioned is never out of style.
Roller-skating carhops, music from the '50s and '60s played over loudspeakers and homemade root beer give customers at Ardy and Ed's Drive-In a sense of nostalgia for a type of restaurant that has all but disappeared from the American scene.
Celebrating its 50th year in business, the small orange-and-brown restaurant on S. Main St. across from Lake Winnebago has not only survived against national franchise rivals such as McDonald's and Hardee's, but also has thrived and become an Oshkosh institution.
"We are determinedly old-fashioned," said co-owner Steve Davis, who began working at Ardy and Ed's in 1977. "The last thing we would ever think of doing would be to change."
Since its birth in 1948 as an A&W Root Beer Stand, the business has gone through some name and ownership changes, but the look of the restaurant and its commitment to friendly service has remained the same.
"We give our customers personal attention," Davis said. "We basically do table service, but at people's cars. It's not like driving up and yelling your order into a box at a window."
If you want a hamburger, hot beef sandwich, a frosty mug of beer or other treat, you either get served in your car, find a picnic table or grab one of the very few inside seats at the counter.
Davis said many of the people who come to Ardy and Ed's are second-and-third-generation customers.
"Grandparents who hung out here when they were kids now bring their grandkids here," he said. "We have a regular customer who's 47 who told me he's been coming here since his mother pulled him over in a wagon."
One of those longtime customers is Jon Gall, who now lives in Brookfield. He remembers going to Ardy and Ed's when he was a boy growing up in Oshkosh and he has remained a loyal customer, stopping by a couple of times a month when he's in the Fox Valley for business.
"Sometimes it's so crowded, I can't get in. But I really enjoy the atmosphere, the food and the people. I keep coming back and coming back," Gall said.
Jim Staggs, 54, of Ripon, said a small locally owned drive-in like Ardy and Ed's offers customers something the big national chains can't.
"You get personal service here. It's not automated," said Staggs, who has been coming to Ardy and Ed's for the past 18 years.
Open from March through September, Ardy and Ed's employs about 35 people during the busy summer months.
Among those employees is Missy Robl, 17, one of the roller-skating carhops who deliver orders.
Robl, in her second year as a waitress, said she enjoys roller-skating on the job.
"It's a lot of fun. It's faster on skates than walking. Once you get used to it, it's easy," she said.
Carhop service is part of the atmosphere that Davis says he emphasizes to bring back the look and feel of the '50s, and to make a trip to Ardy and Ed's a fun experience for customers. "We work hard at being unique. We couldn't survive otherwise," he said.
Ardy the "Ardy" Davis has been part of the drive-in since 1956. In 1960, she and her husband, Edward Timm, bought the A&W franchise. In 1972, they decided to operate as an independent drive-in and the business was renamed Ardy and Ed's Drive-In.
After Ed's death in 1979, Ardy continued to operate the business. She married Davis in 1991.
"When people go out and eat, they may be in a hurry, but they also want to relax and enjoy themselves," she noted. "This is an entertaining place. We don't give away toys, but kids love to come here for the roller-skating and the music." Davis said he has had inquiries about opening more Ardy and Ed's drive-ins, but he's not interested.
"We've been here a long time and we know what we're doing," he said. "We have great help. To try to duplicate this someplace else isn't something we are interested in doing."