WAGNER'S/GALAXY DRIVE-IN
3712 Quebec Ave. So.

Each year the seventh grade geography class at the St. Louis Park Junior High is asked to pick and research a subject of St. Louis Park history and submit a report on it. Alise Hofstad-Parkhill picked Wagner’s Drive-In at 3712 Quebec Ave. With her permission, this is her report.

R.M. Roles built the structure which is currently Wagner’s Drive-in in 1951 (permit no. 9631). It was constructed on 3712 Quebec Ave. at the intersection of Highway 7 and Quebec Ave. Mr. Roles had a permit dated June 20, 1951 to build a building called Dairy Mor, costing $3,500 to construct. The builder was George Fernholm.  [The Grand Opening was held on April 24, 1952; an ad from the Dispatch has a picture.]
 

Eventually Mr. Roles sold the Dairy Mor to Bud and Jean Rodberg. They changed the name to Bud’s Big Boy. In 1954 the name was changed to Oak Hill Drive-in (permit No. 319), possibly by the Rodbergs.  The following two pictures are from April, 1954.

     

At that time the menu was also different. A burger would cost 20 cents, a hot dog 10 cents, French fries 10 cents, and a pop for 5 cents.

Nowadays a burger would cost $2.09 for a single, and a double would cost $3.59. A hot dog would cost $1.49, a small French fry basket would cost $1.25, and a jumbo French fry basket would cost $2.00. Pop costs 85 cents for a small and a large is $1.40. They even charged 25 cents for water.

Mr. Rodberg, who was also a schoolteacher, died in 1960. His wife then sold the building to Dick Gapinski and Don Schlacler in 1961; the permit (No. 179) indicates that they built the steel awning covering the parking and picnic area. In 1963, they sold Oak Hill Drive-in to Pete Rhodes. [Jim Clifford (Class of '66) was the manager during the '60s and remembers that Roger Dubbs and Dick Erickson were the owners.]  Pete kept it until 1979 when he sold it to Ed and Annalise Wagner. The Wagners changed the name to Wagner’s Drive-in, and also expanded the menu. For example, they added chicken and roast beef. They also added a 30 ft. setback of grass to the property (see letter, April 8, 1975).

Yet after 22 years, they had to sell Wagner’s Drive-in because their son needed a kidney transplant and the sale would pay the bills. Food brokers Bob Keening and Curt bought Wagner’s from the Wagners in about 1999. In 2001 they sold it to Jayne and Al Wohl, which are the current owners. By 2003, the Wohls had increased the quality of Wagner’s food to where it was acknowledged by the Mpls St. Paul Magazine as the number one burger in the Twin Cities.

In 2009 the drive-in was purchased by Steve Schussler of Schussler Creative, located across Highway 7.  Schussler made extensive renovations and has changed the name to the Galaxy Drive-In. 



 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.