WLM | people
Red Baron’s ice cream comes in a plastic “pillow”
container. One day an employee cut through the top
and into the plastic pillow of ice cream. Ice cream
was leaking everywhere before she could get it to the
freezer! Occasionally a burger goes out without the
patty or with salad dressing instead of mayonnaise when
someone gets nervous or in a hurry, but mostly they just
serve tasty, enjoyable meals.
I mentioned that is was neat that they still had carhops
and she said two-thirds of their business is out there
with the carhops. Some customers have suggested that
they put roller skates on the hoppers, but she said their
concrete isn’t smooth enough for that. Besides, some have
said they would quit if they had to wear roller skates!
They have a huge menu with a wide variety of
burgers, sandwiches, nuggets, tacos, desserts, specialty
beverages, cones (the Red Baron introduced the twist
cone many years ago) fountain drinks, specialty shakes
– just about anything one could want.
Once in a while a celebrity comes in – like Donny
Osmond who was in the area this past summer for
a family reunion. Heidi said she was too nervous to
talk to him, so she left that to Ben. Ben stated that
Donnie told him (since he’s 6’ 7” and Donnie is,
well, much less than that) he would have to squat
down so they could take a picture.
Ben and Heidi love the nostalgia and the history
of the place – three generations of families have
worked there by now. Many families from
surrounding areas meet there for reunions. They
respect all of that when they make changes. Plus,
the clientele is not bashful about letting them know
what they want and don’t want changed!
During the winter months, Ben works at his
construction business and Heidi homeschools their
children. At the time of this interview it was a few
days from closing and one week before she would
be having a new baby boy, their sixth child.
Check out the inset box for special dates coming
up this summer. Be sure to watch their website –
redbarondrivein.com – for updates. It is so nice to
see an icon not being torn down, one that is still a
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Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2018