The story of Charlie’s Drive-In begins more than 50 years ago. Charlie was working at Wire Products and noticed that a unique little drive-in across the street was up for sale. Charles and Suzanne Mann decided that they would tackle the restaurant business and purchased the A&W from Ray Baerwald in 1965.

They continued under the A&W name until 1982 when they decided to go independent and Charlie’s Place was founded. The name is not the only thing that has changed over the last 57 years. Initially, the staff was all male, but as times changed, female staff members were added to the crew, which is now predominantly female.

The fabulous bacon cheeseburger was not always on the menu. During one of Charlie’s fishing outings, Suzanne worked it onto the menu and it is now one of our most popular sandwiches. In 2000, a stereo system with satellite radio was also added so that our customers could enjoy music from the era that made drive-ins famous.

Since 1965, the Mann family has seen many changes. Charles and Suzanne became parents and are now grandparents. They have operated a true family business since 1965 with their children Carl and Rachel owning the drive-in since 2005.

Charlie’s has always maintained quality food and service, something that the Mann’s are extremely proud of. We invite you to join us in celebrating our 57th year.

We thank all who have been patrons, employees, and friends over the years. We are pleased to serve you our signature root beer and fresh all beef burgers, and hope you enjoy this little slice of Americana as much as we do.

-The Mann Family