Owner of Carl’s Drive-In plans entertainment complex, second restaurant in nearby suburb

The owner of the historic Carl’s Drive-In restaurant along the original alignment of Route 66 in the St. Louis area plans a sizable entertainment complex and second Carl’s restaurant in the nearby suburb of O’Fallon, Missouri.

According to Fox 2 in St. Louis, David Kraemer plans a burger restaurant similar to Carl’s, along with a go-kart racetrack, a six-lane super slide and a 50-foot tall swing tower.

The complex would be at the Route DD exit off U.S. 40/Interstate 64 in O’Fallon.

An O’Fallon alderman showed an artist’s rendering of the proposed project on Facebook:

More from the report:

“It’s such a growing city, and we think it needs a little more entertainment,” says Kramer. “I’ve seen a lot of really good signs that people are wanting this.”

The proposal will be reviewed at a planning and zoning commission meeting on Oct. 6. If approved, Kraemer tells FOX 2 the new Carl’s Drive-In site could become a reality next summer. […]

Carl’s Drive-In has teamed up SkyView Partners, LLC, a St. Louis-based amusement ride supplier, for the non-restaurant elements. The go-karts are intended to be environmentally friendly and reduce noise pollution. The slides and swings would offer features similar to local carnivals.

The complex would be about 25 miles west of Carl’s. O’Fallon never was part of Route 66.

Kraemer bought Carl’s, located in Brentwood, last year but kept its old-school favorites, including its acclaimed cheeseburgers and homemade root beer that reportedly became the basis of the regionally popular IBC root beer.

Originally a gas station in the 1920s, it became Carl’s in 1959.

UPDATE 5/24/2023: The Post-Dispatch reports that a dispute between Carl’s owner and SkyView Partners has killed the deal.

(Artist’s rendering of a second Carl’s Drive-In restaurant and entertainment complex in O’Fallon, Missouri)

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