I mean, they probably have them in a lot of places, but the ones I’ve been to the most are in Upstate New York. Typical fare is ice cream, burgers, hot dogs, and curly fries. May or may not have a small indoor place for eating but the ones I am thinking of have most of the eating taking place outdoors.
– They are not diners or greasy spoons because those I think of as being indoors. However, there are places that serve that exact fare but are indoors. Those I could concieve of calling diners. But if this establishment has a name such as Blogomalkmalts, I’d call them “indoor blogomalkmalts” instead to be more specific as most diners do not focus mostly on outdoor summer fare even if it’s on the menu.
– They are not drive-ins because typically they do not serve you in your car.
Growing up in Western NY we called them hot dog stands, even if they offered a wider menu. More often we called them by just their names: Pat’s, Ted’s, DQ, Longo’s etc.
I guess stands would be the most common term. But usually it would specific what type of food is served like a hot dog stand, a hamburger stand, a michigan stand, an ice cream stand, etc.
I think a lot of them are called drive-ins, even when you have to pick up your food at the window. There’s not many places left where they’ll come out to your car for you.
Snack bar seems the most common. People usually call the local ones by name instead of by a generic description (around here, there’s Jumpin’ Jack’s and the Smack Bar).
Don’t forget Jack’s Drive-in in Wynantskill.
Yeah, pretty much everyone I know from living for 30 years in the Albany area refers to these places by name
I guess the answer is they’re usually called by their name, which isn’t a problem for locals but just for me when I want to find one
I try to go to Jumpin’ Jack’s there every time I’m in the area but my relatives are less enthused about it, but I hear they rebuilt pretty quickly after the flood, I was wondering if they even would but they’re evidently pretty popular.
We dropped by just after they opened. The lines are just as long as they always were. They’ve actually been getting worse; I think they changed their system so they are just slightly slower in taking the orders.
But it’s worth it for the slang: whale fry, whistle fry, spuds, Indian, and, of course the call and response “Subway!” “Thank you!”
If they’re in Upstate NY, they are probably seasonal. There are hundreds of ice-cream stands, some selling remarkable ice cream, but of course they are all closed by Columbus Day in October.
Best bet’s probably to ask the local: “is there a hot dog stand or burger stand or something around here?”
I grew up upstate, so I’d expect the friendly upstate type to take the time to run down your options. I’ve lived in Brooklyn now for a couple of decades; I wouldn’t count on the same patience down here.
I’d probably call a place like that a dairy bar. There are still a few of them scattered around in the rural South. There’s a local one called the Dairy Kool, or Dairy Cream…something like that. The sign is shaped like a giant soft serve cone.
