From The Drivers Seat: Serindipity in a Frosty Mug of Root Beer

The greatest thing about traveling with RAAM, is that the route is almost entirely on non-interstate roads across the country. While passing through the small towns across the country, you make some great discoveries, cool architecture, interesting shops and restaurants, and some amazing people with great stories.


While passing through Robinson, Illinois late one afternoon following RAAM racers, I spotted the Dog N Suds drive in. This was a very serendipitous moment for me. When I was a little guy, we had a Dog n Suds in my home town of Lebanon, Mo. To say I loved Dog n Suds is an understatement. I had adorned my tricycle with Dog n Suds stickers, and I even had a Dog n Suds mug; the only way to get me to drink my milk was to put it in my Dog N Suds mug.

 Fortunately, for me and ultimately the media crew, it was close to our dinner time, so we made a U turn and went back for a bite to eat.

I quickly located the owner, Mr Mark Mathews, and we shared some Dog N Suds stories, and I found out how he came to be the owner of this once great drive in chain. At one time, there were over 700 Dog N Suds around the mid-west, sadly, only 17 still exist today.

Proud Owner: Mark Matthews

The HQ Media Crew awaiting there Root Beers and Coney Dogs

Mark proudly informed me, they still make there Coney Sauce using the original recipe, and there root beer is still made in house to strict Dog N Suds standards. We were not disappointed when our food arrived, and had the best meal of our 3,000 mile journey.

Almost everyone I talked with on the race crews, all commented on how they loved to see the "Real America" while on their RAAM journey. You just don't see this kind of stuff from the freeway, nor do you get to meet people like the great folks at Dog N Suds in Robinson,Ill.

On your next trip, slow down a bit, get off of the interstate and take some back roads. Who knows what kind of discoveries you might find, perhaps you will find the "Dog N Suds" from your childhood memories.

More Information On Dog N Suds Drive In"s: http://www.dog-n-suds.com/