You may think everybody in the Washington State capital , Olympia, just likes to throw money around. Well, not at lunchtime. When it comes to their own money, people around here like to get their dollar's worth.
Eastside Big Tom, the state's oldest drive through restaurant, has been around since the mid 1940's. The original building was an old barber shop. Somehow they've figured out how to shoehorn seven employees into the space of a one car garage.
And it's a busy garage.
"Michael's in the way!" Someone is yelling. " Michael's in the way!"
It's Michael Fritsch, Big Tom's owner, who compulsively plays with all menu items not considered classics.
"Everything I look at I ask myself: can it go into the deep fryer? Can it go into a milkshake?" Michael says . His dad bought the place in 1969 and still runs the grill every now and then.
They make all kinds of shakes here. On my first visit, the shake of the month was made with Captain Crunch's Crunch Berries.
"It's one of the few shakes we actually have to serve with a spoon as well as a straw." Michael says.
My 10 year old daughter says her root beer shake was "the best thing in the world". I'd argue the blackberry shake was even better. A small shake runs $3.77 but will fill you up. The classic burger is the Big Tom, which consists of two patties, two slices of cheese, goop, pickle, onion, lettuce and tomato is $5.82. Strange prices, right? Michael says his dad comes up with the prices based on a special calculus only he understands.
"We're not the cheapest place on the planet, " says Michael. " But people come here knowing if they came here in the 40's, 50's , 60's all the way up to now, the food tastes the same. Year after year after year."
Something else that hasn't changed: the goop. You get a splash of the stuff with every burger. It's messy but it's a good messy.
"Goop is mayonnaise, salad dressing, sweet pickle relish and mustard."
Wait! Did Michael just give me the secret recipe?
"It's not a secret. It used to be a secret."
In Olympia, nothing stays secret for long.
2023 East 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA 98506 (at Frederick St SE, ) map
360-357-4852
Seven days, 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
eastsidebigtom.com
Evening Magazine story
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