46 years ago, when I was 16, I decided that I was going to drop out of high school. I almost made it to graduation but quit in my last year as I wanted to start a business. I had no money, so went to work as a waiter in a truck stop in Harmarville, PA called Choo Choo Pancake Restaurant. My plan was to save up enough to launch my company.
There was a model train on a shelf on the wall of the restaurant and when an order was up, the cook had a way of causing the train make a “choo choo” sound, and your car (each waitress had their own train car) would light up. This let you know that you had an order that was ready to be served.
The truck stop restaurant was owned by an old lady named Mary who has surely since passed away and the restaurant is long gone. Anyway, she knew I was “money hungry,” as she put it, and so after my shift as a waiter, she would let me wash dishes for minimum wage: $2.65/hour. I washed every dish in that place many times.
Since those days, I’ve tried to track down any memento of Choo Choo Pancake Restaurant, and last week I finally found one of their plates on eBay. It arrived today.
The restaurant was in trouble and went under shortly after I left, and I know they didn’t order any new plates. So 46 years ago, I washed that very plate.
I hope it was a nice big steak! That’s a cool story and what an awesome find, go ebay!! Good moment to reflect. Great job, Nick, and congrats on making it happen.
Hi Nick
The next time you are in Chicago go to the Choo Choo train restaurant in Des Plaines, I bet you would enjoy it. I have been there many times !!
Julie
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