LAWTON – First dates and marriage proposals at Wayne’s Drive Inn are part of the folklore passed down for more than seven decades.
More than burgers, onion rings and large Coke, Wayne’s is a Lawton institution. It’s where teens cruised Friday nights starting in 1950. It remains a venue to show off some of the fastest and best-looking hot rods and classic cars in town.
“There’s a lot of stories about things that have happened here,” said Joe Abshere, owner of Wayne’s 6810 NW Cache Road location. Joe is the grandson of the popular drive-in’s founder Wayne Abshere. Joe joined the family business in 2006 as the company opened its Cache Road location.
Wayne Abshere, the family patriarch, died in 2001. His sons, Bobby and Chuck, still operate the original Wayne’s Drive Inn at Sheridan and Gore.
“When my grandfather started it was only hamburgers and hotdogs,” Joe said. Now the menu includes breakfast, complete dinners, pizzas, steak fingers, salads, kiddie food and a variety of sides. Perfectly seasoned and grilled burgers – still considered the top menu choice – range from regular-sized hamburgers and triple cheeseburgers to big-as-you-want burgers.
“It’s important we serve our customers because they’re the reason we’ve been around 71 years,” Joe said. “We have customers who remind us of their first visits to Wayne’s or their first date or even the time they proposed to their sweetheart. There are so many stories and we’ve probably heard each one a few times.”
Employee loyalty has been one of the ingredients to Joe’s success at the second Wayne’s Drive Inn.
“A lot of people have been with me since we opened on the west side,” he said. “For some it was their first job and for others it’s been their only job. That’s how long they’ve been with us.”
THE BEGINNING
In 1947, Wayne Abshere began his restaurant venture in Arvin, Calif., after serving in World War II. He and his wife, Mary, and his best friend Charley Barrett decided California was the place to be, so they loaded up and moved there to start a new life. Once in California, they opened a hamburger stand – a seven-foot by 14-foot trailer. That lasted about a year before Wayne and Mary returned to Lawton and opened a sit-down hamburger restaurant called Wayne’s Burger Bar, 201 B Avenue.
After expanding to three locations, Wayne changed the company name and reduced his operation to the Sheridan Road location. In the early ’60s, he decided to construct a new building and extend the parking lot so he could better serve his customers. Inside counter seating was removed and curb service by carhops was created. The carhops took orders on a pad and calculated the total price in their heads. In 1974 an electronic ordering system was installed to increase customer service.
Over the past few years, Wayne’s has expanded its menu while still providing quality customer service “with a smile on our face,” Joe said. “It’s been good for us and the community, so we keep moving forward. The community takes care of us, and we try to take of them when we can.”
Hours for the original Wayne’s Drive Inn are 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Restaurant hours for Wayne’s Drive Inn II are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Both restaurants are closed on Sunday and Monday.