Mel's Drive-In
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mel's Drive-In (not to be confused with Mel's Diner) is the name of a restaurant chain founded in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs in San Francisco, California.
In 1972 the restaurant was selected as a feature location by George Lucas in the American film American Graffiti, saving the company from possibly going out of business. The restaurants have since been featured in other media such as Melrose Place (1996, season 5, episode 1), Doonesbury comics (December 18, 1989), and the book The American Drive-in by Mike Witzel.
Some Mel's Drive-In locations are not actually drive-ins, but rather diners, although the sign still says "drive-in." No San Francisco location actually serves food to your car.