One of the top local news headlines this past week was the possibility of Happy Valley getting an Arby’s fast-food restaurant again. It’s been almost 13 years since the Arby’s in downtown State College closed, and this addition would mean we denizens of the Valley would once again “Have The Meats.” (Is anyone else shocked that it’s been almost 13 years since Arby’s closed?! Time flies by, doesn’t it?)
I’ll admit though, I’m ambivalent about Arby’s return. I ate at the Arby’s in downtown once or twice while I was a Penn State student back in the early ‘80s, and then again a time or two when we moved back to Happy Valley two decades later, but Arby’s has never been one of my “go-to” fast-food places.
Except, this announcement did get me thinking. What fast food place arriving here – or expanding, as the case may be – would generate a lot of excitement for me personally? And by “fast-food,” I mean any place that doesn’t have table service where you sit down and someone comes to take your order. In addition, “fast-food” will usually have a drive-thru lane for even less need to get out of my car.
So, again, what quick dining options are we missing here, or what options do we need more of? What wonderful quick cuisine would make me even happier to be a resident of Happy Valley?
Well, I puzzled and puzzled ‘till my puzzler was sore, and thought of some places we need even more. Here are my wishes.
I’ve presented this as an either/or scenario, but in a perfect world both of these would open in State College. And, this is not to suggest that I don’t appreciate all the Dunkin’s we have in the area. As with many things, you can’t have too many places to get great donuts and other morning eats. Especially when it’s a Honey Cruller at Timmy Ho’s, or a dripping hot glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme. Rumor was that when the Pegula Arena was built there would be a Tim Hortons in it, but that didn’t happen, so I still wait for my cruller.
I included this on a list I wrote on these pages back in 2015, and I still wish we had this fast-food option here. The half-price milkshakes now start at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., and the age-old concept of a true “drive-in” diner is one that never goes out of style. And, as I mentioned years ago, since the Red Rabbit is more than an hour away, how else will we teach our children the joy of eating in a non-moving car?
We first ran into this eatery in Manhattan a few years ago, and then again on Staten Island when our son went to college. Burgers, fries and shakes – the heart, soul and genesis of fast food. This theme will pop up several times on this list, and the greasy, gooey, pile-whatever-we-can-on-it burger concept is one I appreciate (just not too often – gotta watch the heart!).
What started out as two very similar ideas – the aforementioned burgers, fries and shakes offered primarily through drive-in – became one 25 years ago when Checkers acquired Rally’s. A Checker’s opened near our house in the mid-90s and I was smitten. The idea was simple: offer a limited menu of high-demand items to minimize wait times, put drive-thrus on both sides of the building to increase traffic flow and start serving customers quickly. An idea I sometimes think about as I’m occupying time while slowly waiting in line in some other “fast” food place.
Dairy Queen, or any soft-serve ice cream location
I know, I know. We already have a Dairy Queen. But I really love the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard. And I have driven by the Dairy Queen with the desire for just such a Blizzard many times, only to find the drive-thru lane stretching around the building and into the parking lot. Which is also full. Meaning, because I’m loath to wait 20 minutes for “fast” food, my taste buds and stomach are denied this sugary treat. So, how do we fix that? Build a second location which, hopefully, spreads the demand around!
Again, I know. We already have one. In fact, we did have two for a few years while the one in the HUB on campus was open. But since that was not convenient at all for those of us not on campus, and has now since closed, we are down to one Chick-fil-A in town. And, as we all know, the crowds are well-documented. So well-documented the store required a remodel specifically to address the huge number of drive-thru customers. Several other fast-food places have multiple outlets around town – McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, etc. I think it’s high-time for a second Chick-fil-A and would be thrilled if one opened.
This is more of the burgers, fries and shakes concept. White Castle is often proclaimed as the first fast-food chain, and serves what are commonly referred to as sliders. Except they are steam-grilled – which creates a completely different taste and feel of burger. It’s not for everybody – and full disclosure, there are often times when it’s not for me either – but the menu has expanded enough over the years that it would be an interesting addition to the local food scene.
And there you have the fast food places that would generate a lot of excitement for me if they opened in Happy Valley. Now all we need is to find a few folks with enough money to open a franchise. But if someone does, I can promise they’ll have at least one customer lining up at their door!
