By Michael Perna Jr.
Contributing Writer
WORCESTER – From the time it opened in March 1959, Speedy’s Drive In restaurant became “the” place to be, not only for teenagers but for families and their children.
The restaurant itself, located at 224 Shrewsbury Street, was unique – customers would park their cars next to a drive-in style speaker. They could then place their food order for the popular burgers (complete with a special sauce), shakes, and other treats. The orders were transmitted to a switchboard operator, then delivered to the customer’s cars, making Speedy’s a unique experience for the time.
The restaurant was owned and operated by George and Marion Busada. Ms. Busada was the sister of the owner of the popular Abdow’s restaurant chain.
Hot rod haven
Speedy’s quickly became a popular gathering spot for local “hot rodders” to show off their cars. The Busadas had one rule regarding the hot rods – customers were asked not to “scrub out” when leaving the restaurant. Of course, this didn’t stop them from spinning their tires doing a “scrub out” after they had travelled a little way down Shrewsbury Street. After taking on a racing challenge at Speedy’s, it wasn’t unusual for customers to travel down to Lake Avenue or I-290 (which was still under construction) to have a drag race.
The restaurant was located on the site of the former Laipson’s Dairy Bar. A large sign was a prominent feature in front of the building. Speedy (a young boy figure) was part of the sign, holding a large burger. A huge arrow pointed across the top of the sign, lit by neon, guiding customers into the restaurant’s parking lot. The back portion of the sign advertised “Burgers” and “Eat in Your Car.”
Fond memories
Today, Speedy’s is remembered by many former patrons as a scene that could have come directly from the movie “American Graffiti” – complete with the many 1950s and 1960s “souped up” cars whose owners frequented the place. One local who has fond memories of Speedy’s is Joseph “Joe” Azzarone, who grew up in the Shrewsbury Street area. “People came from all over the city to go to Speedy’s. The food was good, especially the burgers! They always had a cop, Ernie Favulli, working there to keep things peaceful, but it wasn’t a wild place. The guys would go there with their ‘hot’ cars, then go drag racing.”
Even young kids loved the place. Sisters Sandy and Linda McKee, who attended Elizabeth Street School as kids, remember being picked up at school by their mother at lunchtime, then driving to Speedy’s for burgers and fries, along with a shake. “The chocolate shakes were my favorite,” Sandy recalled, even after all these years.
Gone but not forgotten
As the1960s progressed, the drive-in’s speaker system used for placing food orders began to lose its uniqueness due to advances in technology.
The end of Speedy’s came quickly – a fire destroyed the business in 1967, and it never reopened, being replaced by a car dealership.
Although Speedy’s was gone forever, it was never forgotten by its many customers. It was the inspiration for the first “Summer National’s” car show held in Worcester in 1991.
Many former customers stayed in touch with the Busadas over the years – when George Busada died in 2017 at the age of 92, several (now middle-aged or older) former patrons attended the services, some still driving their “souped-up” hot rods.
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