ST. LOUIS, MO -- Welcome to Hi-Pointe Drive-In, home of smashed-thin burgers, can I take your order?
The iconic drive-in is bringing a blast from the 90’s past to the St. Louis area. The famous Burger Mobile featured in Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures' cult-favorite 1997 movie Good Burger will soon have a new home, thanks to the Hi-Pointe Drive-In.
Nickelodeon alums Kenan Thompson (All That, Kenan & Kel, Saturday Night Live) and actor Kel Mitchell (All That, Kenan & Kel, Game Shakers, Dancing with the Stars, MTV's Deliciousness) drove the 1975 AMC Pacer, which had a hamburger on its hood, to deliver the burgers in the movie.
Fast forward 22 years, the car was covered in rust and purchased by the owners of the drive-in.
Mike Johnson, the owner of the drive-in, said the car was purchased for $6,000 and had to be towed to St. Louis from Daytona Beach. The car underwent around $20,000 worth of work.
“People these days want to have an Instagramable picture, so we’ll keep it open and let people open it and sit in it to take pictures and stuff. Hopefully there will be less glass in the seats,” Johnson said.
The restaurant took to Facebook in April 2019 to have loyal customers guess the name of the movie for a $50 gift card.
The ‘Burger Mobile’ went on display at High Pointe Drive-In in December 2020.
Good Burger is released on Blu-ray on Tuesday, February 16 2021. A sequel film is in the works.
From JG-TC.com:
Restored 'Good Burger' car from '90s Nickelodeon movie unveiled at St. Louis burger spot
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| Mike Johnson, owner of the Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis, bought the 1975 Pacer featured in the Nickelodeon movie "Good Burger." The car arrived in St. Louis April 8, 2019. Photos courtesy of Mike Johnson. Photo courtesy of Mike Johnson |
ST. LOUIS — A piece of extra-cheesy '90s kid culture was restored to its former glory this month at one St. Louis burger spot.
Mike Johnson, owner of the Hi-Pointe Drive-In, last week unveiled the newly restored "burgermobile" made famous in the 1997 Nikelodeon kids movie “Good Burger" inside the restaurant's flagship location at 1033 McCausland Avenue.
Johnson bought the 1975 AMC Pacer with a hamburger on its hood in a sorry state in April 2019, the Post-Dispatch reported at the time.
The chef and restaurant owner spotted an article online announcing the car was for sale for $10,000 in Florida and couldn't pass it up, despite the fact it couldn't run and was listed with 999,999 miles on it.
It took longer than Johnson expected — 20 months — and about $25,000 for the restoration, but the burger was finally done this month. It's topped with pickle wheels, a crinkle-fry bumper, a flashing arrow and a shake shooting out its back.
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| Mike Johnson poses for a photo with the original burgermobile inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
The exterior work was a side project for St. Louis artist Joe Albanese, Johnson said. To get the car running, Johnson had to buy another AMC Pacer from the era for parts.
"I think it actually looks better than it did in the movie," Johnson said Monday standing next to the flashing burger-car at the entry to his restaurant.
Hi-Pointe Drive-In posted a video revealing the car on Instagram last week. Keenan Thompson, star of "Good Burger" before his long career on "Saturday Night Live," gave his stamp of approval.
"Wowwwww!!! Awesome!!!!" Thompson commented from his official account.
Johnson said he hopes the burgermobile will be available for photos for years inside the restaurant.
"It was more than worth it," he said.
Welcome to Good Burger
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| A large burger makes up the hood of the original burgermobile sitting inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Owner Mike Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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| A larger than life drink cup hangs from an antenna on the original burgermobile sitting inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Owner Mike Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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| The Schreckkenberg family piles into the entranceway to get a look at the original burgermobile parked inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. The family says "Good Burger" is their favorite movie and they came out specifically to see the completed car. Owner Mike Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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| The original burgermobile sits inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Owner Mike Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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| A crinkle cut French-fry makes up the bumper on the original burgermobile parked inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis while a ketchup bottle topper is stuck to the back window on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Owner Mike Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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| An original owners manual sits on the seat inside the burgermobile parked inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Owner Mike Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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| Mike Johnson poses for a photo with the original burgermobile inside Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis on Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. Johnson recently bought the car, made famous in the cult classic film "Good Burger", and had it restored by local artist Joe Albanese. Photo by Colter Peterson. |
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From MovieWeb:
Good Burger Car Gets Restored and Displayed at St. Louis Burger Joint
Good Burger fans in the St. Louis area can now visit the burgermobile seen in the movie at Hi-Pointe Drive-In.
The burgermobile seen in the cult classic Nickelodeon movie Good Burger has been restored and now resides at Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis, Missouri. A 1975 AMC Pacer, the vehicle is memorable for its large arrows on the sides, the Good Burger sign on top, a shake on its back, its pickle wheels, crinkle fry bumper, and, of course, the large hamburger on the hood. Encouraging patrons to come visit the Good Burger car and snap a photo, the restaurant posted a video to Instagram unveiling the fully-restored burgermobile.
"It took a long time but our world famous burger [car] we bought from the 90's classic Good Burger is finally home," the caption reads. The post has since caught the attention of Kenan Thompson, who co-starred with Kel Mitchell in the movie.
"Wowwww!!!! Awesome!!!!" Thompson commented.
Hi-Pointe Drive-In owner Mike Johnson purchased the burgermobile in April 2019. Although the car was in poor shape, couldn't run, and was listed with 999,999 miles, Johnson spent $10,000 to own the piece of movie history. He says he spent another $25,000 for the restoration, which includes buying another AMC Pacer for parts and hiring artist Joe Albanese for the exterior work. All in all, the process took about 20 months.
"I think it actually looks better than it did in the movie," Johnson said, adding that it was "more than worth it" and hopes the car will be available for photo-ops in the restaurant for years to come.
Good Burger began as a series of skits on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That. They'd typically feature Kel Mitchell as Ed, a clueless teenage cashier. Mitchell would reprise the role in 1997 for the movie adaptation with Kenan Thompson playing new employee Dexter Reed. In the movie, Ed and Dexter face losing their jobs when a new competitor opens a burger joint offering unnaturally large burgers across the street, threatening to put Good Burger out of business. Several celebrities also appear in special roles in the movie, such as Abe Vigoda, Sinbad, George Clinton, Carmen Electra, and Shaquille O'Neal.
In the years since its release, Good Burger has developed a cult following. Mitchell reunited with Thompson on an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a new Good Burger sketch, and this sparked rumors that a sequel could get made. Mitchell and Thompson have both since said they'd be up for reprising their roles from the 1997 movie in a new sequel, but that the decision isn't up to them. If the fans want it and both of the original stars are on board, there's still hope that Good Burger 2 just might happen someday.
In any case, the original Good Burger will always be there. If you want to check out the Good Burger car for yourself, you can visit Hi-Pointe Drive-In at 1033 McCausland Avenue in St. Louis. You can find out more about the restaurant at the official website. This news comes to us from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
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Originally published: Thursday, December 17, 2020.
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