Our Parent’s Favorite Drive-In Disappears From West Haven

I just saw some news that made me sad, and made me miss my parents even more. West Haven's Chick's drive in restaurant is finally being demolished, after sitting vacant for almost a decade.

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Did your parents take you to Chick's too? It was a destination restaurant for decades after it opened up in 1950. Chick's was one of the premiere drive-in/seafood restaurants on the Connecticut shoreline. My dad told me so many stories of the crazy road trips that he and his buddies used to take between Chick's and Waterbury. That was what they did in the 50's & 60's, load up the Cadillac, drive down Rt. 63 into New Haven, cruise down Beach Street in West Haven to Chick's, and load up on burgers, dogs, clam rolls, and soda pop.

My parents kept that tradition going, we used to all jump in my dad's Caddy, leisurely ride along the Milford shoreline up until we got to West Haven and Chick's. God those hot dogs were great.

"Through these doors pass the world's finest customers" greeted you as you waited in line for your fried clam roll, burgers, and fries. Chick's closed down for good on November 15, 2015. 65 years in business. I lost my mom that year too, she was only 10 years older than Chick's. Every time that I drove past that iconic building post-closure, I thought about all the great meals and memories I was lucky enough to have with my family there.

Unfortunately, it's all over, according to the newhavenregister.com, the iconic building at 183 Beach Street was demolished over the past couple of days, in order to make way for 12 luxury townhouse units to be built on the land formerly occupied by Chick's parking lot.

Boo West Haven. Captain's Galley and Chick's in the 2000's? Not a good move.