It may seem like a short drive to The Suds in downtown Greenwood, but really it’s more like a fifty-year trip in the wayback machine. The Suds, at 350 Market Plaza, was built in 1957 as a Dog `n Suds and retains the same look, atmosphere and menu that it had in the 50s and 60s. Owners John Wagner and Larry Evans have tried to preserve the nostalgic menu that was served fifty years ago, but say they have also added some new things. Car Craft magazine rewarded their efforts a few years ago by naming The Suds one of the top five drive-ins in the country.
The Suds is much more than simply a nostalgic drive-in restaurant. Just show up on a Saturday night and see for yourself. The so-called “cruise-in” has been a fixture for as long as The Suds has been open. On a busy Saturday night, you might find 200-300 vintage and classic vehicles there. Most come from Central Indiana, but it is not uncommon to have people travel from out of state to participate. And, in turn, that brings out as many as a few thousand people who will stop or drive through to see the cars. That translates into a lot of orders of burgers, onion rings, and root beer floats!
Wagner said The Suds has attracted large crowds for more than half a century to the Greenwood area. “The visitors not only eat at The Suds but visit other shopping and eating establishments in the Greenwood area. I suppose this could be calculated into millions of dollars brought into the Greenwood economy over the years,” he estimated. Wagner added they are planning some nice changes in the future to go along with the downtown Greenwood revitalization. But after more than a half century of feeding and entertaining patrons, you can pretty much rest assured that it will retain the essence of a bygone era.
The pictures in this slideshow are the pictures that were published in the magazine. (You can also view and download them directly from Flickr by double-clicking on the slideshow.)
This set of pictures is from the August 3 Cruise-In. (You can also view and download them directly from Flickr by double-clicking on the slideshow.)
This set of pictures is from the August 10 Cruise-In. (You can also view and download them directly from Flickr by double-clicking on the slideshow.)
For those of you without the ability to use Flash, here is another way to look at the pictures from the magazine.
These pictures are from the August 3, 2013 Suds Cruise-In.
These pictures are from the August 10, 2013 Suds Cruise-In.
