Chick Inn Diner

Texas claims the carhop. The first carhops appeared in 1921 in Dallas, where businessman J. G. Kirby and physician R. W. Jackson opened the Pig Stand, with male carhops from the start. Women replaced many of them during World War II, and the number of carhops fell sharply from the mid-1960s as drive-ins added indoor seating and drive-through service. The word, a play on bellhop, did not appear in print until 1937. A few carhops can still be found at small-town drive-ins.

What the plaque says

Chick Inn Diner Mass production of the automobile ushered in an era of business expansion and increased mobility. Food stands and booths quickly appeared along roadways for hungry motorists. These stands eventually evolved into the drive-in, complete with curb service. Automobile-related businesses multiplied greatly after World War II. By the 1950s, drive-in diners were a symbol of youth and often were the nucleus of social activity, especially in rural areas. In 1950, W.H. Kemper and R.A. Doberrer acquired a lot on the outskirts of Winters and constructed a small, wood-frame structure which they named El Rancho Drive-in. It was laid out with parking spaces on the north and south sides, encircled by an asphalt drive. A small screen lean-to was attached to the south façade for car hops to place orders. After only a few months, they sold the restaurant to a local couple who changed the name to the Chick Inn. From the day of its opening, the chick inn was a gathering place for young people in the community. Many residents recall fond memories of "making the drag" around the drive-in and enjoying burgers, shakes and fountain drinks. On weekends, the Chick Inn parking lot would be near capacity, with as many or more people "hanging out" outside. For over thirty years, the drive-in and diner was a cultural icon for the Winters community. On March 14, 1982, a tornado touched down south of Winters and began a path toward the Chick Inn. Homes and businesses were destroyed, and the damage to the drive-in was so extensive the building was demolished. Gone but not forgotten, the Chick Inn's history and importance to generations of Winters residents will remain. (2013)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Z. I. Hale Museum and Rock Hotel — 1.1 mi
  A free museum in a Winters optometrist's office, a 1909 railroad hotel and a 1927 implement dealership, with Rogers Hornsby's hometown memorabilia and a 1912 horse-drawn cotton picker.
• Carnegie Library of Ballinger — 14 mi
  A 1909 limestone library with an Ionic portico in a railroad town the Santa Fe created in 1886, one of the few Texas Carnegie libraries still working in its original building.
• Fort Chadbourne — 18 mi
  An 1852 infantry post and Butterfield stage station on a Coke County ranch, its fallen stone buildings rebuilt since 1999 by the descendant of the family that has ranched the land since 1877.
• Abilene State Park — 21 mi
  A pecan-shaded park on Elm Creek in the Callahan Divide south of Abilene, with red sandstone CCC buildings, a summer pool, a bird blind and yurts under the trees.

More markers nearby

• Winters Lodge No. 743, A.F. & A.M. — 1.1 mi
• Winters — 1.1 mi
• Winters FFA Chapter — 1.6 mi
• Winters Brass Band — 1.7 mi