"In between taking orders behind the counter and handing out brown-bagged burgers to hungry customers, manager Elizabeth Fannoun - the daughter of the late Tony - sidled into a red booth to sift through a pile of old family photographs. There was a snapshot of her as a kid back in the '80s, sitting in the bed of her dad's truck out in front of the restaurant."
"The restaurant, in many ways, is trapped in time, down to the red-tiled exterior, the faded still lives of fast food decorating the walls and the roller rink-style menu board advertising its curly fries, chicken tender baskets and made-to-order milkshakes. But something was missing. The 900-pound neon sign that had been perched over the roof of Tony's Cable Car since it first opened sometime in the 1960s was gone for good."
Tony's Cable Car remains a longtime San Francisco drive-in with vintage decor, classic menu items and family ties spanning generations. Manager Elizabeth Fannoun and her mother, Judy, maintain the restaurant and preserve family photographs and memories tied to the booth and longtime staff. The restaurant's 900-pound neon sign, a visible landmark since the 1960s, was removed after the supporting pole rusted and threatened collapse. The sign now sits in a workshop across the bay while owners consult a longtime neon specialist about costly repairs and long-term safety concerns.
Read at SFGATE
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