[dropcap size=big]G[/dropcap]eorge's Drive-In, a 60-year-old Boyle Heights eatery that had fallen on hard times, has been restored to its original style and menu under its new owners, the De La Torre family. The classic burgers and shakes joint is now owned and managed by the family behind Guisados, a modern classic in its own right.
It had been part of neighborhood chisme for some time – tiny improvements and a new sign started the chatter – but Monday it became public when Guisados co-owner Armando De La Torre Jr. announced the family's involvement via his Instagram account. De La Torre told L.A. Taco the family was proud to bring back a simplified menu dating back to the times when Cesar Chavez was Brooklyn Avenue.
"My grandfather, 'Papa', actually owned the property that George's Drive-In is on since back when George's started in the 60s," De La Torre explained. "And it had gone through some tough times after George retired and it switched hands a bunch of times."
He and chef and general manager – and business partner in this venture – Robert McCord apparently conceived of the project at a Dodgers game in June. "It was sad to see this place that I had grown up going to with my grandfather reduced to what it had become," De La Torre explained. He said that they had gone over one day to find that George's Drive-In was using mostly frozen ingredients, including the hamburgers and pastrami.