Wetson's

RE: Wetson's (catarnett)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:14:54 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by duke the dog

I recall Wetsons in Fairfield,ct. and in Bridgeport, ct. It was a Macs copy but not even as good. The co. folded in the 70s. The Ffld. store was famous because they sold dope over the counter. got busted too. The Fairfield location is now a DUCHESS. GREAT PLACES>>>>>

I remember the Bridgeport Wetson's, I grew up on the east side of Bridgeport and my Mom took me there all the time. I was in grammar school at the time. I drive by what is now the Fairfield Duchess twice a day! Who knew they were selling drugs, thats hilarious.

RE: Wetson's (johnrm)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:07:58 GMT

Thanks, I also worked for Bob Cobb, who was the second auctioneer at the Pine Brook Auction. I left for college in the fall of 1965.

RE: Wetson's (Baah Ben)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:05:49 GMT

Pinebrook and Route 46...That's way West on 46...Lived in Bergen County until 1980...Never heard of the place. Hey, head east from Pine Brook past Terterboro Airport to the Little Ferry Circle (actually the circle is sort of gone) and turn right....Right to Tracy's Nine Mile House for their famous steak sandwich

RE: Wetson's (Twinwillow)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:47:08 GMT

Welcome aboard, John. Keep those post's coming.

RE: Wetson's (johnrm)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:39:33 GMT

I worked at the Wetsons in Pine Brook in the early 60s and at Kiddyland before that. I remember I was under age at kiddy land so I made 75 cents and hour. I also made the french fries. The burger place further down by the auction and kiddyland was Kelly's hamburgers John

RE: Wetson's (khennings)

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:39:55 GMT

i grew up 4 o 5 blocks from the wetson's in Elizabeth,N.J. (on st. george ave.) on opening day
they gave away hambergers for free. my friends and i were on line all day.i think i got about
20 burgers that day(one at a time). i have not thought about that day in along time.
k. hennings

RE: Wetson's (JeannieG)

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:13:41 GMT

Hmmm...I lived on LI from 1963 - 1986. Worked in the County offices in Hauppauge during the early 70's so I would pass that intersection every day going home and can't say I remember a Wetson's being there,just the pool store after Hubies. Let me know what you find out. Ah, the shakes! Definitely had to have a shake with those yummy burgers:)

RE: Wetson's (hutt)

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:25:07 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by JeannieG

The hamburger place at the 347 split was definitely Hubies Hamburgers during the 60's. My brothers and sister and I would beg my father to "HTH...Head to Hubies:):)" before getting on Nesconset Hwy...Mmmmmm...It's now a pool store

Same exact story here, JeannieG! The memories at that great place!
The thick shakes and the roast chicken dinners, the burgers....wow!
The roast chicken & fries dinners were like 59 cents. Fries, burgers for something like 15 cents, more or less? I remember the shakes were really something special and I remember them being 25 cents. Didn't that location become a Wetson's afterwards? I could be mistaken - if you don't know then I'll ask my brother. Going to Hubie's is one of my best memories from childhood. Nice to hear from you!

RE: Wetson's (kozel)

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:18:09 GMT

Welcome to the forums Jeannie.

RE: Wetson's (JeannieG)

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:18:55 GMT

The hamburger place at the 347 split was definitely Hubies Hamburgers during the 60's. My brothers and sister and I would beg my father to "HTH...Head to Hubies:):)" before getting on Nesconset Hwy...Mmmmmm...It's now a pool store

RE: Wetson's (swirsk53)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:19:27 GMT

The former Roslyn Wetsons still stands as well. It is on the north side of Northern Blvd and is also part of a used car complex. I saw a building near the Bayport LIRR station this past summer that I was also pretty sure was a former Wetsons.

RE: Wetson's (Flay)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:14:31 GMT

I just spoke with a co- worker and she remembers the Wetsons at 347 and 454 in Hauppauge long Island from the early 1960's.She says the pool store is there now . Does anybody remember Al Dowd's beefalo burgers on Northern Blvd in Laural Hollow just up the Hill from the fish hatchery in Cold Spring Harbor?They had great burgers and you cuold have a tap beer in a frozen mug!

RE: Wetson's (mitros)

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:30:07 GMT

I remember the Wetsons in Elizabeth New Jersey. It was on St. George ave., and I recall that they made their frys from FRESH cut potatoes! And the yellow tinge to the bun. Must have been the first bread bun made with egg yolks

quote:
Originally posted by printernj

I remenber a Wetsons place in Teaneck on Teaneck Road & another in Lodi on Essex Street

RE: Wetson's (printernj)

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:40:31 GMT

I remenber a Wetsons place in Teaneck on Teaneck Road & another in Lodi on Essex Street

RE: Wetson's (Taurus4)

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:43:03 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by datsun2K

I worked in a Wetson's in the Airport Plaza Shopping Center in Hazlet, NJ while in high school in the early 1960's. I remember the fries becasue they were so good. I was often in charge of making them. I would put fresh potatoes in a big spinner machine that would scrub off the skins, then the peeled potatoes would dump in to a large sink full of water to soak for a while to remove some of the starch. I'd then stab potatoes with a big fork and slam them down in a big handled slicer to cut them in to shoestrings where they would fall in to a second sink for soaking. Once I got a big pile of raw cut shoestring potatoes, I would load up the fry baskets and fry them in the hot oil but only to par cook them. Once they were par cooked, they would hang on a big rack that could hold dozens of baskets at a time to cool. When demand for fresh french fries came up, the par cooked potatoes would be dropped in the hot oil again to finish them. This is essentially how pommes frites are made in Europe. When the Wetson's regional manager guy would show up from Staten Island, he was a stickler on doing the french fries right. He was a tough task master to us unruly kids but he taught me the importance of doing a job right and making a product that had integrity. To this day, I still think those fries from Wetson's were like nothing else you could get back then. Nowadays, getting fresh cut french fries is a rarity. Everything is flash frozen now for economy but it just doesn't compare. First time I went to Europe and had pommes frites in Holland, it all came back to me, how good the fries were at Wetson's and how much the pommes frites in Holland tasted like what I remembered.

I lived in Hazlet and remember the Wetsons on RT36 in Airport Plaza. I seem to remember it burned down but as to when I can't say. I don't ever recall ever going there and it may have been burnt down and boarded up as long as I remember. Anyone know the story of this particular Wetsons?

Datsun2k, you were working there before I was even born (1970) so it gives me an idea of how long it was there before I was alive. Any other thoughts or comments would be great.

I always looked at it and hoped they would bring it back as I usually root for the underdog, but it remained un-occupied for as long as I could remember until I moved in 1988.

RE: Wetson's (susan 1955)

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 05:56:26 GMT

I have such fond memories of Wetsons. My dad would treat us every few months and take us to the one on 46 in NJ. It was a big deal. I would take orders in the car, which always included milkshakes, and I think in those days (the early 60') our whole family of five ate for under $3.00. Then on the way home we would drive past the Hanover Airport. Ahhh, the good old days.

RE: Wetson's (East811)

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:52:21 GMT

yes, I worked @ wetsons pine brook, NJ in the late 60`s.

RE: Wetson's (MacTAC)

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:44:30 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Desert Dog

I remember going to Wetsons on Northern Blvd late sixties, didn't they have two clowns? I also remember Chicken Delight, they went out of business in the states but they still have them in Canada.

They're still in NY, NJ and California. We occasionally still eat at the Westbury location and it's still good...

RE: Wetson's (Desert Dog)

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 18:29:56 GMT

I remember going to Wetsons on Northern Blvd late sixties, didn't they have two clowns? I also remember Chicken Delight, they went out of business in the states but they still have them in Canada.

RE: Wetson's (queens2newport)

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:52:33 GMT

I remember Wetson's on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck as a kid . . if they closed in 1975, i would have been 10 at the time.

Anyway . . my oldest friend, who I have known since we were 4, was the youngest of 8 kids . . the other 7 older siblings were a mixed bunch, a few of the boys were wild.

Anyway, he told me a story that wayyy back when it was really anything-goes land in NYC and the surrounding areas, his wild older brother and a whole bunch of guys had been drinking all night until they closed a bar in Little Neck at 4AM on a saturday night.

Walking back towards Douglaston where we all grew up, they passed the Wetson's and decided it was time for a 'little snack'. They forced entry & fired up the grill & had a completely insane animal house style rampage for close to two hours, as the story goes.

I can't remember if someone passed out there & they left him, there was something more to the story however it definitely did not include his brother or the group as a whole getting in trouble.

I guess in 75 it turned into a Carvel . . which it possibly still is, I haven't been back to NYC in 7 years or so.

RE: Wetson's (MacTAC)

Mon, 14 May 2007 20:30:07 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by datsun2K

Nowadays, getting fresh cut french fries is a rarity.

You're right about that, but we still enjoy them these days at the venerable All American in Massapequa on Long Island...

RE: Wetson's (datsun2K)

Mon, 14 May 2007 19:42:55 GMT

I worked in a Wetson's in the Airport Plaza Shopping Center in Hazlet, NJ while in high school in the early 1960's. I remember the fries becasue they were so good. I was often in charge of making them. I would put fresh potatoes in a big spinner machine that would scrub off the skins, then the peeled potatoes would dump in to a large sink full of water to soak for a while to remove some of the starch. I'd then stab potatoes with a big fork and slam them down in a big handled slicer to cut them in to shoestrings where they would fall in to a second sink for soaking. Once I got a big pile of raw cut shoestring potatoes, I would load up the fry baskets and fry them in the hot oil but only to par cook them. Once they were par cooked, they would hang on a big rack that could hold dozens of baskets at a time to cool. When demand for fresh french fries came up, the par cooked potatoes would be dropped in the hot oil again to finish them. This is essentially how pommes frites are made in Europe. When the Wetson's regional manager guy would show up from Staten Island, he was a stickler on doing the french fries right. He was a tough task master to us unruly kids but he taught me the importance of doing a job right and making a product that had integrity. To this day, I still think those fries from Wetson's were like nothing else you could get back then. Nowadays, getting fresh cut french fries is a rarity. Everything is flash frozen now for economy but it just doesn't compare. First time I went to Europe and had pommes frites in Holland, it all came back to me, how good the fries were at Wetson's and how much the pommes frites in Holland tasted like what I remembered.

RE: Wetson's (newwavemichael)

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:48:03 GMT

to buddy dek,are you sure that was ever a wetsons at the route 347 split? I have lived 5 minutes from there since 1967 it was a single owned hamburger joint called hubie's,very similar to wetsons,I don't recall it ever being a wetsons,maybe before my time,my dad used to take us to hubie's and then to the smithtown driv-in,some of the best memories I have are from those nights

RE: Wetson's (Buddy Dek)

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:51:31 GMT

Wetsons had one store on veterans hwy. where it split to become Rt347(smithtown by-pass) also another haven on north service road of sunrise hwy in Bay Shore. I remember them to be second in taste to McD's with their 15c hamburgers.

RE: Wetson's (grtwhtsk)

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:30:06 GMT

I remember my Dad driving us to the Wetsons on Northern Boulevard in Queens.

RE: Wetson's (Rob4579)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:53:40 GMT

I remember the Wetsons on Forest Ave/Broadway on Staten Island.

RE: Wetson's (big g in joisey)

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:50:12 GMT

My family used to enjoy going to the Wetson's on 46East in Pine Brook,
Nj,when we were younger,it is a Wendy's now,but we used to really like their burgers and fries.

RE: Wetson's (eggsactley)

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 15:39:00 GMT

The former Wetsons on Staten Island at Burger Ave. and Hylan Blvd. has been torn down. It had been an auto parts store for quite some time.

RE: Wetson's (newwavemichael)

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 21:24:45 GMT

I got to the bottom of who started wetson's we are both right the wetansen's and norbitz' are cousins and started wetsons together here is a little article from a long island fastfood type thread:

In 1959, before McDonald’s and Burger King would blanket the landscape with their ubiquitous outlets, the Island’s own Wetson’s, with its 15-cent burgers and
10-cent fries, established itself. At its peak, Wetson’s had more than 70 hamburger stands throughout the New York metropolitan area. In 1975, as McDonald’s and Burger King continued their unstoppable expansion, Wetson’s was sold to Nathan’s Famous.

To the disappointment of many Long Islanders, Wetson’s 16-year run ended. Nathan’s discontinued the Wetson’s concept and converted many of the restaurants to Nathan’s. The LI hamburger chain created by Norbitz’ father, Harold Norbitz, and his uncle, Carl Wetansen, was no more. It was the mid-’50s when the two businessmen stumbled upon a gleaming new McDonald’s on a trip to Chicago’s suburbs. They were impressed with what they saw—from the golden arches to the cheap food and fast service—and, according to Norbitz, they “basically duplicated it.” They put their own spin on R and D: “Instead of research and development, they had research and duplication,” said Norbitz.

RE: Wetson's (MacTAC)

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 19:57:04 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Robert Berkowitz

The Wetson's on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, LI, is still there...well, the building, anyway. It's part of the Country Ford Trucks complex west of Jerusalem Avenue.

Actually Robert, that was a Burger 'n Shake. Wetson's was on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike, east of Jerusalem Avenue right next to where Jolly Roger's was.