Few centenarians get a second act, but Cloverdale’s favorite roadside burger and milkshake stop, Pick’s Roadside (formerly Pick’s Drive-In), is gearing up for its next 100 years.
First opened in 1923 as Reed and Bell’s Root Beer Stand, an offshoot of the A&W Root Beer franchise founded by Lewis Reed and H.C. Bell, the historic burger shack reopened Saturday, Jan. 10, after a complete makeover and menu reboot that nods to the past while embracing modern ingredients and tastes. Root beer, of course, remains a fixture, but is joined by Roederer sparkling wine and Wagyu beef burgers. Old Cloverdale meets Sonoma Wine Country.
“Pick’s has always been more than a restaurant,” said general manager Amber Lanier last June. “It’s a gathering spot, a piece of history and a place that has shaped the memories of so many in Cloverdale.” Based in the town of just 9,000 residents, the locality matters to residents who have an emotional stake in the former drive-in…