Longtime Dunlap eatery back in business

By Corrina Sisk-Casson, Correspondent

DUNLAP, Tenn. -- By 3 p.m., most restaurants are slowing down to prepare for the dinner crowd, but Win-Bob Drive-Inn is gearing up for the rush of kids about to get out of school.

Originally opened in 1952, the Win-Bob spent 52 years serving hamburgers, dairy treats and fun to people in Dunlap. Teenagers would cruise to Win-Bob. Families would go out for an ice cream treat.

The restaurant closed in 2004 when the owners opened Harmon's Home Plate -- named after Alton Harmon, who co-owns the eatery with his sister, Donna Burgess. But Harmon's never quite achieved the success of Win-Bob, and it closed recently. A few weeks ago, Win-Bob reappeared.

"I had people working for me on Signal Mountain and they would come down here to eat years back. They used to have the best hamburger you ever ate," recalled Charlie Hamilton, sitting at Win-Bob's outside picnic tables with his wife, Roberta, waiting for an order. "That's why I came in here today, to see if it's still good."

Susan Thomas and Bruce Boynton were visiting Dunlap from Clearwater, Fla., looking at property. They stopped at Win-Bob for lunch when they saw a line of cars outside the restaurant, thinking that was a sign that the place had good food.

"I love it. It's a great place for people to hang out and socialize. It is like the old-time diner. It's wonderful," Mrs. Thomas said. "It gives me visions of 'Happy Days' TV shows. It's like that."

Mr. Harmon said the Home Plate was very nice, but it just wasn't the same. The menu of hamburgers, french fries, shakes and malts seems to be what people crave.

"The whole town is glad to see us back open," Mr. Harmon said. "Down at the Home Plate, it was the same food. We cooked the same meat. They say it tastes better at Win-Bob. It's just an icon in the community."

He said his daughter, Hali, kept after him to reopen the eatery as a place for the kids to hang out after school andon weekends and after games. She made the case that the town and the youths needed Win-Bob back.

It took a lot of friends and family to get the Win-Bob back in shape. They painted walls, made repairs and fixed the leaky roof.

"People that I don't even know that well came down here," Mr. Harmon said. "We had people walk up that I had never seen asking if they could help."

Devin Moore remembers the days when folks drove up and gave their orders to a carhop. The new Win-Bob still has a carhop -- it's tradition, Mr. Harmon said.

Mrs. Moore said the Win-Bob was just good fun. She tried Harmon's Home Plate, but something was missing.

"It's different, I don't know if it was because it was a different grill. It wasn't the same," Mrs. Moore said.

Mr. Harmon has fond memories of Win-Bob when he was growing up and before he bought the restaurant. He took his high school sweetheart, Sheri, there on dates.

Now they're married and are making new Win-Bob memories.

"And I never dreamed that some day I would be one of the owners," he said.

Corrina Sisk-Casson lives in Dunlap. She may be reached at corrinacasson1@aol.com.