My parents, Harry and Agnes Hill, owned Hill’s Restaurant next to the Giant Dipper from 1947-1954.
Since this was the era before any prepared foods, my parents had to start reallyearly in the morning and make everything from scratch, including hamburger patties and peeling and slicing potatoes for French fries before the restaurant opened at 8 a.m.
Lots of employees who worked at the games and rides came there for breakfast. After the morning crowd, most of our customers were tourists; we closed at 2 p.m.
When you are part of a family-owned business, you learn to do everything. From the age of 11, I helped my mother with food preparation, waited on customers and cleaned up. If I had a day off and wanted to go to the beach, I had to remember to not walk by the restaurant or my father would grab me and put me to work. There were some perks. I did have a great time trading hamburgers for free rides on the roller coaster.
In the photo, the menu board on the wall shows the following prices: Breakfast – 2 eggs, potatoes and toast, 40 cents; ham or bacon and 2 eggs, potatoes and toast, 75 cents; coffee, 5 cents.
Lunch through closing time – hamburger or hot dog, 15 cents; cheeseburger, 25 cents; potato salad, 20 cents; French fries, 25 cents; chili beans, 25 cents; hamburger steak plate with French fries and tomatoes, 60 cents; assorted sandwiches, from 25 to 45 cents; pie, 15 cents.
