Golden Wheel-In

A website by Bruce Clark
Updated April 24th, 2013

Memories of a now-gone Northeast Philadelphia landmark restaurant and soft ice cream emporium.
Formerly located on the corner of Large Street and Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia PA.
The business opened in 1951.  I was first hired for the summer of 1969 - 44 years ago!

How the restaurant lot looks in February 2011

FOUND!  August 1974 photos taken by my brother, Robert Clark, on a return visit to the Golden Wheel In.

By 1974,  the window signs no longer displayed the prices.  Bill Strang's personalized Florida license plates: "BIG BILL" can be seen!

  June 25th, 2010 - Joseph, Rose & John have been found!

Owner, Bill Strang, working the hot dog grill in the 1950's:

DISCOVERED!  AUGUST 30th, 2010 UPDATE:

THE FIRST DOLLAR EVER SPENT AT THE GOLDEN WHEEL IN!

On Sunday June 24th, 1951, the doors to the Cottman Drive-In (later the Golden Wheel In) opened for the very first time.  And, as people often do to give their new business good luck, Bill and Marie Strang saved the first dollar bill that was spent there.  This framed Silver Certificate was mounted on the wall and it stayed there while countless employees worked there and saw it.  The mystery of what happened to that dollar has now been solved thanks to Chris Currie.  Chris's grandfather, Louis Curie, was a good friend of Bill Strang. They lived near each other in Philadelphia and also lived in the same building in Highland Beach, Florida in the winter. Louis owned Currie Lumber & Millwork which was just a few blocks from the Cottman Drive-In.  Chris came across the framed dollar in some family possessions and was kind enough to let me share it here.  Obviously, Marie Strang gave it to Louis Currie as a memento after Bill Strang died - and she closed the business.

FOUND after 38 years!  My missing "Summer of 1971" color slides!

 
More photos to follow.  Photo at far right shows Joseph, Ann Gallagher and John.
All images copyright Bruce Clark and may not be used without permission.

Above left, the view that the customer saw while standing at the inside windows.  Note the "Wanted" poster in the name of the owner, "Big Bad Bill"!
Above center, the narrow hallway from the food section to the ice cream section.  Freezers are on the right.  At right, Joseph serves a soda.

Did you work there, or possibly go there to eat?  I'd love to hear from you!

Owners Bill and Marie Strang are shown, far right.  Further descriptions below. Photos are compliments of their daughter Gail

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Below: The paper hats worn by the employees,

Most folks remember their first job.  I certainly do.  At age 15, during the summer of 1969 - the summer of Woodstock - I made ice cream cones at the Golden Wheel-In, a drive up restaurant that was only a couple of blocks from my Souder Street home.  That summer was important for a number of reasons, including the fact that man first landed on the moon and I was able to get my driver's license!  The Golden Wheel In  was quite popular, and it drew ice cream fanatics from all over the area.  Cones, Sundaes and Banana Splits were sold from indoor countertop windows.  A foil-lined, insulated take-home bag?  That was 15¢ extra!  Evening crowds were enormous and it was exhausting for those working the late shift (they had clean-up duties too).  If the job was easy, it wouldn't pay so well - $1.35 an hour!

My introduction to the business world started in the summer of 1969.  That was their 19th season - and it was 40 years ago this year.  They began as a "Polar Cub" franchise but they later sought their own identity by using a Western themed name for the place.  The owners gave me a button from their early days, which is shown below. It would be a very exciting summer for several reasons, including the fact that NASA would be putting the first man on the moon in July.

My memories of the place are still vivid, and hopefully this website will bring back memories for you too.  Plus, I really hope that some former co-workers who see this will get in touch!  I was surprised that I still had some memorabilia from way back then...

The Golden Wheel-In was actually split between the food section and the ice cream section.  The food section had a window for ordering and paying for the food, and a separate window for sodas and milkshakes.  Many workers started at that window, to see if they could handle things there.  The ice cream end had three Electro-Freeze soft-serve machines.  They always had vanilla and chocolate and the third machine was used for a rotating sherbet flavor. 

A large calendar (right) was posted on the employee's changing room door and it showed what flavor sherbet was coming up next.  It was all mapped out for the month. Some customers, who were hooked on a flavor combination like chocolate ice cream and orange sherbet would ask when the next time orange sherbet was scheduled.

Oh yes, you could "mix" flavors, but not on the smallest (25¢) cone.  Starting with the 30¢ level, you could ask to get two flavors on the same cone.  And don't forget the sales tax - a 25¢ cone was actually 27¢.  You quickly learned to check for kids sent in by their parents and only clutching a quarter coin.  Under strict orders not to allow any soft-serve to enter the cone itself, I also quickly learned the art of twirling and balancing the ice cream around the narrow edge of the cone, therefore maximizing profits and making the perfect (yet top heavy) ice cream cone. 

Now you know why there were no dipped cones at the Golden Wheel-In.  Gravity simply wouldn't permit it.

I have kept this cone-making talent to this very day.  And now, when I am at a Buffet restaurant with a self-serve ice-cream machine, I can still twirl with the best of them.  There was a weighing scale near the cash register with the various cone sizes clearly marked on the dial so you could check your portion control.  Rookies would have to weigh each cone until they learned the proper weights.  Well, maybe they were a little heavier when a friend stopped by!

When my brother worked there (a few years before I did) - he showed Bill (the owner) a trick he had learned, folding a dollar bill so that it looked like real money - but it was in miniature.  Proudly showing it to the boss, Bill simply replied, "If you could only make your cones that small!" 

Below left:  Every week, Marie would give you a tiny slip of paper with your hours on it.  This one was from August 1970!

Before it was the Golden Wheel-In, the restaurant was simply known as the "Cottman Drive-In".  The above pencil was one of the few items they produced to promote the place.  The barrel of the pencil had a joke on it about "Sing While You Drive"...

At 45 miles per hour, sing "Highways Are Happy Ways"
At 55 miles, sing "I'm But A Stranger Here, Heaven Is My Home"
At 65 miles, sing "Nearer My God To Thee!"
At 75 miles, sing "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I'll Be There"
At 85 miles, sing "Lord, I'm Coming Home"

Getting back to business - DRIVE SAFELY!  We Like Our Customers & wish to keep them.

Today, the original restaurant building is gone.  It was replaced by a red building housing a Blinds To Go business.

Here is a second example of a promotional pencil that they produced - it touted their famous hot dogs.

The Golden Wheel-In was owned and operated by Bill and Marie Strang.  They lived in an apartment at the rear of the building and drove a Cadillac with Florida personalized plates that said BIG BILL.  And in the winter, they would drive down to their home in Florida.  Bill was a hulk of a man, one of the strongest men I ever knew.   And when you were working around machinery that often took brute force to disassemble, Bill's strength came in handy.

They used only the excellent-tasting Eat-It-All brand ice cream cones.  Each huge box came with redeemable certificates which Bill and Marie collected religiously for prizes.  I swear I recall Bill telling me that he turned in a few million points to get a shotgun!  And, I seem to recall hearing that Marie kept a loaded derringer always nearby in their apartment.

Remember that bucking fiberglass horse and cowboy that was on the roof?  Well, I can proudly say that I was one of the people that helped install it in the spring. Taken out of storage, Bill would elicit the help of several guys who would carry it up to the roof and help bolt it down for the season.  It was a lot of fun to get the place ready for opening day.  I could count on getting a Christmas card from Marie from Florida with the date they would be coming up - and the dates they would like to have help getting ready.

I took a roll of color slides of the place, and I just found them on July 7th 2009!   I will eventually scan them all and add them to this site - to jog a few more memories.

Below is the summer of 1969 menu for both food and ice cream!  Today, I would love to pay the prices shown, but back then, many people thought it was expensive.  Each year the prices would usually go up by a nickel here or a dime there.  But 1971 was the exception - no price increase from 1970!  That made remembering prices a whole lot easier.  By 1976, the smallest ice cream cone was 50¢, still a bargain by today's standards!

The 1969 menu marked their 19th season of being open for business.  Not one to miss a business opportunity, Bill would lease out his parking lot before Christmas to someone who would sell Christmas trees.  And in the Spring, to someone who would sell flowers!  My brother reminded me that we had to place the menus out on the tables - with the specific instructions that the "Let's Eat" side be face-up!  Ah, the fine art of subliminal advertising...

The photos at the very top of this page (reproduced again above) are a treasure trove of visual clues and tantalizing area history.

The far left photo is the oldest of the three.  It was taken in the spring (exact year unknown - probably early 1960's) from the roof of the Golden Wheel-In building looking east down Cottman Avenue!  The colorful flag banners indicate that they were about to open for a new season.   And the fact that someone was on the roof could only mean one thing - the horse display was being installed on the steel beams!  I should know - I was one of the people who helped put it up when I was working there.  The fiberglass horse and rider - including stiffened rope lasso - was stored inside during the winter, but it was brought out every spring.  It was bulky and heavy to handle, but manageable given enough help.  Bill was always the one to tighten the bolts and secure it - he was a very strong man.

If you look closely at the first photo, you will see (from left to right) the small dark-blue newsstand on the corner in front of the Horn & Hardart restaurant.  Then there was the Industrial Valley Bank sign (bank itself is hidden to the side of Horn & Hardart).   Then there was the Cottman Bustleton Shopping Center strip of stores.  The red "Polar Cub" and "Charcoal Dogs" sign sits near the corner of the Golden Wheel-In property with a nearby red fire call box at the corner.  Across the street, the ACME store sign tower looms over the grocery store and its parking lot.  A ladder is leaning against the beams holding up the life-sized cowboy and his trusty steed.  Floodlights light him up at night.

The center photo was taken years later.  No longer affiliated with the "Polar Cub" franchise, the sign remains, but it is now covered over on both sides with a painted wooden sign announcing the name "Golden Wheel-In".  "Steaks - Shakes" clarifies the available menu to the passing masses.  And there is a holdover sign from the earlier days, and this time it can be seen much clearer.  It is an illuminated "You Shop - We Cook" sign that is an invitation to the weary Cottman Avenue shopper to stop buy and get some nourishment.  After all, they serve both "HOT" and "COLD" platters!  This center photo probably shows the sale of Easter flowers on the property.  The ACME building is clearly seen, across Large Street.

And of course, the far right photo shows Bill and Marie Strang, standing just inside the main entrance to the restaurant, beside their actual "Golden Wheel" wagon wheel.  Marie is wearing one of the early "Polar Cub" hats, before they dropped their affiliation with them.  The restaurant was filled with Western-themed memorabilia - photos, etc.

The south wall of the building had a small insulated door that was used for the delivery of the ice milk and milkshake mixes.  They both arrived in huge stainless steel milk cans - and when they went through that door, they came right into the large walk-in refrigerator that stocked all of the perishable items.  It was hard work when a large delivery came in because you had to rotate the stock, and neatly arrange the incoming delivery.  You didn't want to make a mistake later and pour milkshake mix into the ice cream machine, because the different butterfat content would not allow the freezing of the mixture.  So keeping everything straight and organized was vital.

The customer side of the ice cream section had several colorful painted wooden signs that showed the various frozen treats.  I remember that the Banana Split sign was especially creative - beneath the delightfully drawn dessert, it offered this selling point: "You Keep Your Plastic Dish and Spoon!" It was almost as if to imply that Dairy Queen was somehow collecting the used plastic dishes before you left their establishment - but at the Golden Wheel-In, they would never grab them from your hands.  You could take the sticky dishes home with you.  I imagine some might have been used as bathtub toy boats, and I do recall some people rinsing them out in the water fountain!  Speaking of Banana Splits, can you guess what sight struck fear into the hearts of the young workers?  It was a station wagon full of nuns pulling into the parking lot!  You see, that meant a huge order of multiple Banana Splits - all wrapped "to go"!  And creating a dozen Banana Splits with ice cream that is already soft to begin with was no easy task.  More than one observant worker headed for the back room before the station wagon was even placed in "Park" - leaving their hapless co-worker to handle the messy task ahead.

What led me to work at the Golden Wheel-In?  My parents, of course - wanting me to have a summer job!  And, they wisely knew that years later I would be thankful for the experience.  Actually, I thought that my summer of 1969 would be job-free.  The ad in the paper looking for workers there stated that "you must be 16" to apply.  And since I was only 15 (turning 16 in late July), I thought I was safe.  Oh, no.  My parents still made me go over to interview.  And I remember that first job interview experience like it happened last week.

I arrived at the Golden Wheel-In during their job interview hours.  A line of about 15 kids waited outside, as one at a time they entered for their turn.  As the kids were coming out, they would each say, "Don't bother - they aren't hiring any more....".  That left me with a moral dilemma.  Should I leave the line and go home?  Could I honestly leave the line and go home - and tell my parents that I left because of what some kid said who didn't get the job?  I knew I had to stay, and so I did.  When it was my turn, I went inside and sat down in the booth with Marie on the other side of the table.  "What's your name?" she asked with pen in hand.  "Bruce Clark", I replied.  "Hmmmm.....Clark - - did your brother work here?" Marie followed up.  "Yes, he did.", I said.  She asked how old I was and when I would turn 16.  "OK, you are hired." 

It really was as simple as that.  Thanks to my brother not screwing up, I got to ride on his coattails.  The hourly wage was explained to me along with some other details, but the bottom line was that I had my first job - and it felt good!  At the dinner table that night, my $1.35 an hour wage towered over my brother's former wage of 85¢ an hour just a couple of years before.   Yes, I would soon be rolling in dough.

I later found out why they ideally wanted kids that were 16.  State law said that you had to be 16 to work after 7pm.  So they needed enough kids to handle the night shift.  For me, the day hours I got at first were great.  I could only work from opening until the afternoon and then others came in to work at night.  But in July, my world changed.  On that little slip of paper with my upcoming hours, the July 26th notation said:  "Happy Birthday - 7 to midnight"!  It was only fair - my turn to handle the rougher hours.

At night when it got really busy, there would be lines of families waiting for their ice cream.   There would always be two or three workers - but only one cash register.   And the register was the old-fashioned kind with the "typewriter" style keys (at right) that you had to push down hard to activate and open the drawer.  None of the modern-day conveniences like the machine telling you how much change to give back.

That brings up an interesting point - the lost art of "making change".  My dad made sure I knew how to make change (counting up from the sale price to the money tendered).  And that helped me impress Marie right away that I knew how to do that.  I remember she gave me some practice examples and wanted to see if I knew how to make change.  Sounds simple, but these days if the register doesn't tell the clerk what to give back, they are lost.  I've seen it happen any number of times recently when the wrong amount tendered is keyed in - the cashier is helpless!   

Bill and Marie gave me a book from their collection that I still own to this day.  It is called "Let's Sell Ice Cream" written by George W. Hennerich.  Their edition was from 1952 - and it was published by the Ice Cream Merchandising Institute.   I like to think of the book as an early guide for Bill and Marie in running their new ice cream store.  The 351 page book is full of expert advice and marketing ideas - not to mention hundreds of recipes.  The image at left is a guide to food handler grooming!  Don't forget to "Avoid Body Odor!".

To work in a restaurant in Philly you needed a "Food Handler's Certificate".  I remember going to one of the Philadelphia Health Centers to get a chest x-ray to see if I had tuberculosis.   Imagine my surprise when the city wrote to me that I had to come back in because their tests showed a "spot on my lung"!  It was their ancient equipment, not a health problem.

In the ice cream room, there was a public water fountain near the doorway where employees would come out to the tables to clean them off.  Right behind the scenes was a power outlet where the fountain was plugged in.  I remember that Bill, the owner, would sometimes unplug the water fountain compressor when he would see a bunch of kids coming in.  Based on past experience, Bill knew that groups of kids rarely buy much and if they wanted a drink they should buy some sodas!

I took Bill's lead, and advanced it one step further!   I would unplug the water fountain right before the kids would come in.  Then, I would watch as they stepped on the floor pedal and no water would come up.  They would then sit down at one of the tables and start talking.  I would secretly plug the water fountain back in, come out to the customer area, wipe off an empty table, go over to the fountain and get a drink, then go behind the counter and quickly unplug the fountain in one swift motion as I walked back to my station.  More than once, the kids would notice how I was able to get a drink when it was wasn't working for them!  And, when they went back to get some water, it would stop working again!  I have to admit that it was an inspired trick - and quite the visual effect - the magician David Copperfield would have envied the puzzled amazement of my "audience"!

(Bruce, as an adult)

My memories of the Golden Wheel In are good ones.  It was a great opportunity, the place was like a family and I thought far enough ahead to document my first workplace.  So it was with great sadness when I recently heard - for the first time -  exactly how the story came to an end.  On December 21st, 1976, Bill Strang suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 57.  Marie never reopened the store.  It is so hard for me to believe that there were only 5 more seasons for the restaurant after I left for college.

(More Golden Wheel In Memories And Photos To Follow)

April 2010 UPDATE:  The Grand Opening of Lit Brothers Department Store - February 1954

Anyone who is familiar with the Golden Wheel In on Cottman Avenue will certainly be familiar with the Lit Brothers Department Store just down the block and across the street at Castor and Cottman Avenues.  Here is a rare glimpse at their opening day giveaway item from February 1954, fifty-six years ago!

At their grand opening, they handed out a small folder that contained a Commemorative Handkerchief and store postcard.  The folder featured several historical buildings in Philadelphia and modestly included their own achievement - "one of America's most modern department stores".  The implication was clear - while you are visiting the historic sites in the area, be sure to visit Lit Brothers!

When you click on the thumbnails below you will see (from left to right), the front cover of the opening day folder handout, the inside of the folder, the color postcard, the postcard text and a section of the actual handkerchief design.

As kids, the Lit Brothers Department Store was like a big playground.  Although they had escalators to whisk you between floors, we knew which departments hid the access to the stairwells that allowed you to get to another floor.  Sometimes we would get yelled at, but since they were legitimate fire exits that had to be left open, they could not deny us access.  They just didn't like the fact that we were using them in case we were there to cause trouble.

My mom must have attended the grand opening and received the folder.  She was never one to turn a freebie away - even if it never got used!

FLASH:  June 25th, 2010 - Joseph, Rose & John have been found.  Joseph has been married to Rose for 34 years, and John is a successful author and college professor.  Both have earned their Ph.D degrees - see what a start at the Golden Wheel In does?

Where are you, Rose, Joseph and John?

Pictured here (left) are two male co-workers (center and right).  Joseph is in the center with his girlfriend Rose.  I found the photo in a letter that Joseph wrote to me when I was in college. No return address, simply signed "Joe" (and as luck would have it - I already remembered his first name.  The Strang's daughter Gail remembered him too - and his unique block letter style of printing - but she couldn't recall his last name either.  Joe went to a Catholic high school and I believe that he lived up near Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

I feel terrible about not remembering Joseph's last name - or John's last name.  I do remember they were both excellent, hard-working cooks.  Other family members of John worked there too, including his Mom - at the food window - and his younger sister who worked at the soda window (seen at right in 1971).  My excuse for not remembering?  Forty years of time passing!  I really hope that I hear from someone who recognizes someone - and fills me in on names.  I am certain that as soon as I hear the names, it will all come back to me!

Website originally created by Bruce Clark, July 2007.

Contents Copyright 2007 - 2013 Bruce Clark

Also.....

Do you remember the "Mr. C Spaceship" that visited behind Lit Brothers Department Store on Cottman Avenue?

Counter Added September 22, 2009