When out and about, Patrick and I often seek out the older restaurants, and it’s even better when they have a great old sign. However, I’m still a bit on the wary side of dining due to COVID, especially indoors, so I was thrilled to find Andre’s! A 1950s drive-in restaurant, complete with great architecture, old sign, and outdoor dining!

If the sign for Andre’s seems familiar, it’s because another one resides at the Kern County Museum, as there were once multiple Andre’s in Bakersfield.

Serving up burgers and French fries, Andre’s actually has French history. Cyrille Andre immigrated from France, arriving in Bakersfield in the late 1800s, working as a sheep herder. He briefly returned to France where he married, then came back to Bakersfield in 1910, having six children with his wife, Marie. Decades later, their decedents, Joe, John, and Mary opened Andre’s Dairy Bar within Food City Market in 1946. Wanting to expand, they talked to Mac and Dick McDonald (yes of McDonald’s fame) for advice and soon opened Quickie’s Snack Bar. They then ventured into the drive-in restaurant business in 1955 with their first Andre’s Drive-In. Two years later this location was built.

While no longer owned by the Andre family, changing hands sometime in the early 2000s, and doesn’t have any neon left (the script on the roof appears to be rope light) Andre’s still has its cute retro flair, and the most darling outdoor eating area that seriously gives me mini golf vibes.

Grab a burger or burrito at Andre’s Drive-In at 1419 Brundage Lane in Bakersfield.

What’s Nearby?

Dine at the Last Woolworth’s Lunch Counter

The Kern County Museum

Source
Kimble, Lisa. “Named after: Andre’s Drive-In.” Bakersfield.com, 27 September 2013. Accessed 17 May 2021.