See Ya, Toots!

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 2, 2006 3:46PM

Some of the fondest memories of our youth involved Toots Drive Thru as the setting. As adults, whenever we found ourselves in Portage or Jefferson Park (back when the Silent Film Society of Chicago's summer festival was held at the Gateway Theater), we always made it a point to find our way to Toots for a hot dog, a malt, and maybe some mac-and-cheese bites.

Yesterday was Toots' last day of business. The property where Toots stands is now slated for a mini-mall. We saw the same thing happen with the Milford Theater, on Milwaukee and Pulaski, and the Will Rogers Theater, on Belmont, just west of Central. You can never have enough strip malls these days. Time was when Central Avenue -- from Hanson Stadium all the way up to Touhy -- was dotted with hot dog stands, like some meatpacker's version of Heaven. A Sunday afternoon was taking in a movie at the Will Rogers, then heading to Toots, where free fries with all sandwiches was sacrosanct.

Even though Toots' owner Glen Weinberg hopes to re-open at Central and Diversey, it just isn't the same. The old adage is true: change is inevitable. See ya, Toots.