Carl’s Drive-In is under new ownership in Brentwood

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Photo by George Mahe

For the second time in just over six years, Carl’s Drive-In (9033 Manchester) has a new owner. Frank Cunetto, who'd been smashing burgers at Carl’s for more than 30 years (and answered to anyone calling him “Carl”), handed the keys over to longtime customer Mike Franklin in April 2015. This month, Franklin sold the business to David Kraemer, another longtime customer, who said the sale was serendipitous—and almost didn’t happen at all.

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Courtesy David and Taylor Kraemer

David and Taylor Kraemer

“I grew up in Wildwood, so it took me awhile to discover Carl’s and become a regular,” Kraemer explains, “but once I did, I started eating there several times a week for years. A few months ago, as I took my to-go bag to my truck, I saw Mike [Franklin] getting into his car, motioned to him to turn down his window, and said something like, 'If you’d ever think of selling the restaurant, I’d like to buy it.' He looked at me and said, 'That’s funny—I was thinking about selling it just last week,' and we started talking. My wife and I discussed it and we made it happen.

"[Franklin] said he’d had a few offers, from other people in the business who he thought might change things," Kraemer continues, "and I told him that was not my intention, that Carl’s had been an 'If it ain’t broke, why change it?' business for decades, and there was no reason to operate the business any differently." (The only recent physical change was the pickup window that was added on the east side of the building in November 2020.)

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Courtesy Carl's

The menu will remain unchanged: griddle-smashed burgers, footlong and curly Q hot dogs, fries served in checkered French fry boats, ketchup in frill cups, tamales topped with Edmund’s chili, and house-made root beer served in heavy, frozen mugs. Then there's the Ronnie's Rocky Mountain, the locally made, super-size version of a drumstick. Portion sizes, prices, and burger weights all will remain the same. Kraemer hints that an additional fish offering might appear during Lent, “but that’s it.”

The existing employees will remain in place, too, which was a crucial part of the deal, Kraemer says. “Carl’s wouldn’t be Carl’s without them.” Sisters Kelly McFerrin and Pam Martin have been with the restaurant for 23 and 22 years, respectively, and are both Steak ‘n Shake alum. Their niece, Lisa Kron, has logged 21 years behind the twin Formica counters and 16 stools.

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Photo by George Mahe

The menu board at Carl's, circa 2015

Kraemer, a contractor by trade, recently launched Bath King, a bathroom remodeling company. He says only minor cosmetic changes are planned for Carl’s: swapping out some of the memorabilia on the walls, installing a new roof, improving the take-out window, and repainting the exterior. (“Don’t worry; it will be the exact same colors,” he says). “Oh, and the slotted menu board is staying right where it is,” he adds regarding the decades-old, yellowed letterboard. "And Carl's is still cash only."

The restaurant has been closed on Sundays and Mondays for decades, and inquiries about extending the hours have already arisen. “If it makes sense, then maybe down the road,” Kraemer says. “I don’t see more Carl’s as being a bad thing.”

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Watercolor by Marilynne Bradley