The following is an article featuring Cupp's Drive Inn- a locally owned Waco treasure for 69 years, and home of mouthwatering no-nonsense onion rings and burgers.
Driving down the road in Waco TX, a visitor might never notice the tiny metal building that houses Cupp’s Drive Inn. It’s not a very intimidating structure, not much larger than a narrow trailer bed, with just enough room inside for 4 booths by the windows and 7 stools at the bar, most mended with black duck tape. Much like other burger joints, the atmosphere is filled with the smell of grease, the clatter of knives and forks, and the slap and sizzle of patties hitting a blacktop grill. And yet, there’s something special about Cupp’s, something that has kept customers coming back to this local landmark for some 69 years.
Customers form a representative sample of the entire Waco population, including characters like the local mechanic, who likes to take lunch in his car where he can listen to a radio program, mothers with rambunctious kids who tend to take over the outdoor picnic tables on mild afternoons, Baylor frat guys spilling over the restaurant’s 7 stools while ordering triple bacon burgers, and doctors or businessmen cutting into chicken fried steak in one of the adjacent booths. In the small space millionaires and plumbers might find themselves seat-to-seat, munching on onion rings and jawing on about the good old days.
“I’ve been comin’ here since I was just a little girl,” recalled one patron, Ms. Irene. “Not since ’47, mind you, I’m not as old as I look!” She joked. Ms. Irene isn’t alone. Cupp’s is home to many long-time patrons faithful through the years, or visiting alumni who stop by for burgers before Baylor football games. Another customer recalled his own childhood, “We’d just come here to get something to drink back then. We didn’t have no money to buy burgers, so we’d just grab sodas on Saturday nights.”
The air is filled with the warmth of this friendly kind of conversation. With only a counter to separate dining area from kitchen, the staff joins in, joking with customers, dishing out nicknames and anecdotes like they were home cut fries and Dr. Pepper. When customer “Boss Man” starts giving chef Freddie a hard time, he smacks back an easy, “Just remember I’m cooking your food, don’t be too mean”. “I need 500 hamburgers!” Boss Man shouts back, making waitresses and fellow dinners laugh. Everyone jokes with each other in Cupp’s, reminiscing about old memories, and discussing everything from small town happenings to the price of bacon and local football stats.
For the most part, it’s been that way since the restaurant opened in 1947, thanks to the hard work and dedication of 4 generations of Cupp’s owners. In a sort of makeshift high school yearbook, yellowing pictures of each owner hang just right of the front door, stacked one on top of the other. They date all the way back to Mr. Cupp himself.
While the building got its start as “Heaton’s Eatin’s back in 1929, Cupp’s Drive in didn’t enter the picture until 1947 when the Cupp family decided to buy the restaurant next door and enter into the burger business. With the help of waitress Flo Owen, soon followed by Betty Johnson and Pat Walker who served as car hops in true 50’s style, Cupp’s began to make a name for itself. By the time the 70’s rolled around, Cupp’s good cooking had won Waco over, and Mr. Cupp decided to hang up his apron. From there Flo, the waitress, took over operations. Her photograph, featuring manicured hair and a warm smile, hangs just above Mr. Cupp’s. After around a decade in the burger business, Flo passed the spatula on to fellow waitress Betty and her husband in ‘88, parents of today’s brother and sister operation, Sherri Caughenbaugh and Freddie Johnson.
“Mom knew everyone by their burger order,” owner Freddie recalled while refilling napkin holders during a slow spell one Thursday afternoon. “She’d be walkin’ in the grocery store and somebody would wave and say “Hi Betty!” I remember I’d ask her who they were, and she’d say, I don’t know their name but they like their burger pickles extra mayo.”
It seems that not much has changed since those days. The people are still friendly and the food still good. The menu, displayed in dry erase marker on a whiteboard just above the grill, advertises more than a few tempting options. Popular choices include their house cut fries, the chicken fried steak (which comes with a side salad, fries, toast and gravy), and classic breakfast staples like pancakes and grits. Burgers, however, are still the star of the show, and it’s easy to see why. Freddie and Sherri are adamant about using only fresh Texas produce, and locally sourced, never frozen, beef. Food is always made to order, so it comes off hot and is served that way. With only 10 feet between grill and booth, it simply doesn’t have the chance to get cold. Extra details like the seasoned grill and toasted buns finish off the winning equation. The final result is a melt in your mouth knockout burger with a toasted bun and fresh fixin’s to complement a beef patty that’s positively dripping with flavor. No wonder customer’s keep coming back for more! And no wonder Cupp’s doesn’t feel the need to change a thing. The burger they serve today is the very same recipe that customers have been served since Cupp’s first opened its doors. It works because it’s simple, it’s quality, and it’s well made. No frills, just good food among good company.
A few modifications have managed to find their way into the restaurant along with the changing times. A shiny stainless steel fridge sits near the back wall, and a high-powered air conditioner pumps cool air throughout the space (a much welcome update during central Texas heat spells). The words “Drive Inn” in the restaurant’s name have also become a bit of a misnomer. As cars changed, trays wouldn’t sit straight on windows, and people weren’t making use of the service regardless, so they decided to phase out carhops and focus their energies inside. Additionally, these days Cupp’s is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Saturday, but closed for dinner and closed all day on Sundays. “It’d be easier to close on a week day,” Freddie admitted “but we thought it better to give people Sundays off. That way you can go to church.”
As times change and old replaces new, Cupp’s has remained, becoming a landmark in the Waco community. “I remember when that Burger King came in across the street.” Owner Sherri recalled. “People told us we should be worried, but here we are. We’re different from places like that.” There’s just something about Cupp’s: good service, good community, and above all, great food. It’s that something that has set it apart from the rest, keeping customers coming for the past 69 years, and as far as anyone can tell, for another 69+ years to come. After “Boss Man” finished ribbing Freddie he paused to reflect, “ I hope they taste as good as when I was a kid.”
“You know they do,” Freddie responded.
“Yeah, they always do.”
