Restaurant/Car Wash of the Week: EZ Take Out
This week's restaurant/car wash: EZ Take Out Burger/EZ Car Wash, 515 N. Mountain Ave. (at Arrow Highway), Upland.
I suspect this will be a one-week-only permutation of my Restaurant of the Week feature. But why not do a knockoff of myself? EZ Take Out is a transparent copy of In N Out. Yet two of its three Inland Valley locations set themselves apart from any other restaurant you can likely think of by pairing themselves with a car wash.
You can walk up to the window, get a meal and eat at a patio table. You can go through the drive-thru for a meal. Or you can pull into a car wash bay just feet away, drop quarters into the slot and set to work with the wand and the foaming brush. Be careful not to spray the people on the patio!
For the novelty of it, I went in on Sunday, washed my car ($2.50), then parked in the sun and got the Double Take Combo ($6.45 with tax). The Double Take is a double burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and, if you like, onions. The combo gives you thin-cut fries and a medium soda.
I liked the burger, a gooey, greasy version that came wrapped in paper (gee, that seems familiar), and the fries too. Also, the car wash was fine. The water sprayed automatically, without me having to squeeze the trigger, making EZ a good choice for carpal tunnel sufferers. The pink soap was a colorful touch.
The restaurant menu is simple: single and double burgers, a gardenburger and a chicken sandwich. They also have shakes, including the unusual flavor boysenberry. You can get your burger low-carb style, wrapped in lettuce. Or try it as a Wild Thing, which comes fried in mustard. I guess there's no "secret menu" at EZ.
The car wash menu is likewise simple: tire cleaner, spray, foaming brush, rinse, wax. Oddly, you switch among them by pressing numbers on a silver keypad that looks exactly like one on a pay phone.
There are eight EZ Take Outs, seven in SoCal and one in Utah. The one at Foothill and Central in Upland, founded in 1969, was the first. The chain's website is www.eztakeout.com.
Circa 1999, btw, I wrote a feature story for the Bulletin on odd combo businesses. One was a Pomona restaurant that serves burgers, donuts and Chinese food (it's since added fried chicken). One was an Upland carpet store that sold golf clubs (now out of business, I believe). And the third was the Upland EZ Take Out with a car wash.
The franchise owner was pleasant enough but, even when goaded by questions like "Has there ever been a mixup between the two operations -- like you made a milkshake with detergent?", he assiduously avoided humorous comment.
Feel free to supply your own.
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A journalist for more than two decades, David Allen has been writing a column for the Daily Bulletin since 1997 and blogging since 2007.He lives in Claremont.
E-mail David here or read columns here.
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Dave, the EZ Out fries are better than In-N-Out's....and there's coupons in the Pennysaver. As I recall, their founder was ex In-N-Out exec who had a protracted legal battle with them.
[I lean in your direction on the fries, Don. In-N-Out's uncooked-tasting fries are an acquired taste, and as a SoCal transplant, i.e., someone who didn't grow up eating them, I haven't acquired it. -- DA]
Hi David,
Just for the record and with all due respect, I believe that at least 1 In-N-Out has a car wash tied into its burger joint and that is the one on Foothill near Central, THE ONE WITH A CAR WASH NEXT TO IT!!!!!
Regarding Friday's column on used book stores: Have you ever been to Ojai? It's about 20 miles inland from Ventura. The city is a treat in itself, with trees growing in the middle of streets and sidewalks and a laid-back, '60s feel. There is a used bookstore there, Bart's Books, that is half indoors and half outdoors. The outdoor bookcases are out among the trees and along sidewalks. They have clear plastic sheets which they pull down at night and in negative weather to protect the books. It's still around. I first went there about 30 years ago and most recently, about 5 years ago.
Dennis
[I've been to Bart's. What a great concept, not to mention store. As for that In N Out, I debated whether to include it. They're connected as far as being next door and clearly constructed in the same cinder-block/tile roof style, and yet they're separated by several yards, whereas EZ Out is all in the same building. So, it's a wobbler. If I want to review another Restaurant/Car Wash, maybe I'll fudge it. Thanks for bringing it up. -- DA]
I like the grilled chicken sandwich they have here. It is delicious.
Will you be reviewing more car washes in the future? I'm curious what the new one at Towne and Arrow is like -- the one that Steve Atchley is so proud of bringing to Pomona.
[I'd better stay above the car-wash fray and wait until after the election. -- DA]
I dream of the day an E-Z Out Burger would open in the R.C. There are plenty of times when I would like to wash my car in the city, yet there don't seem to be any decent car washes around. Does the city have an issue with great burgers/fries/boysenberry shakes/car washing?
[Perhaps you could show up to a debate and grill the council candidates on this vital issue. -- DA]
To all those people who want to enjoy a good burger but can't seem to find it. Let's face it, the largest and most successful burger places are quickly fading, and yes that includes you know who! Unfortunately, all these places at one time made fresh, quality food. The recipe for success is no secret. Fresh food, quality ingredients. etc. These qualities are replaced with pre-cooked foods or frozen, smaller portions, lower quality and standards. If you really want a quality burger, made the old school way, look out for "All American Burger" coming soon!
[Oh, this was a commercial, eh? OK, keep us posted. -- DA]