Located on Bath Road, Fat Boy offers a selection of burgers, fries, frappes and more. Photos by Emma Sorkin
BRUNSWICK — I have driven past Fat Boy countless times before – its convenient location on Bath Road means it’s on the way from Brunswick to Cook’s Corner and Bailey and Orr’s Islands – but never pulled off the main road to check it out before this summer. Something about having spent a hot summer day in isolation drew me to the drive-in, where I could stay in the comfort of my air-conditioned car while eating lunch.
I don’t eat meat or dairy, so I assumed, rather happily, it would be french fries for lunch for me. My meat-eating friend and I decided to indulge.
The restaurant recently introduced an online preordering option, but we decided to go the classic route and order once we had pulled into a spot and turned on our headlights to alert the waitstaff we were ready to order.
The fried egg sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and pulled into one of the marked spots. About a minute later, a waitress brought us a menu. Much to my surprise, I discovered a sandwich that met my dietary restrictions: the fried egg sandwich ($3.99). I ordered the sandwich and fries ($2.99), and my friend ordered a BLT ($4.99).
Fat Boy Drive-In is recently under new ownership, but the original business model seems largely undisturbed by the pandemic, something most restaurants can’t say. Waiters in masks take your order through the car window and bring the items out on a metal tray that attaches to the car door, allowing for fully contact-less service.
The drive-in was busy, and the food came out slower than usual – more than 15 minutes after we ordered.
The egg sandwich comes with just a fried egg on a toasted bun. I added lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise for a simple yet tasty sandwich. The BLT is made with Canadian bacon, which my friend said was a delicious treat. The serving of french fries was generous, and the fries were just the right amount of warm and crunchy – we finished them in minutes.
Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, Fat Boy is convenient and relatively inexpensive. For me, the drive-in experience is almost as important as the food itself. I enjoyed a sense of nostalgia from the retro building and signs as I sat and ate my french fries. And because you never leave your car when getting food from Fat Boy, regardless of the pandemic, it felt almost normal.
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