Don’s Drive In

Inside of diner is a little more classic than exterior seems. Not sure why, but burgers do have that old-​fashioned, homemade taste. We enjoyed our meal. Husband said vanilla milk shake was good, though it needed a cherry on top. Kids meals arrive in a cute cardboard car. Prices reasonable.

Traverse City, Michigan —
Since 1958 «Don’s Drive-​In» has been hangin’ in there …
Food is okay, but service is lacking … they deliver without any personality!
Not a «Run-​A-​Way Bill» Favorite because «Don’s» has no counter-​seating, and the service is young & inexperience … they «deliver» efficiently, but «service» is lacking! «Personality» from a «sever» goes a long way better tips!
#RunAwayBill #DUSATour2016 #LivingLarge
«Run-​A-​Way Bill» was here!
06.21.16

Good burgers! A little under seasoned but still good. Get the bacon! Also, you have to try the real fruit shake. The cherry is my favorite. There are big chunks of real fruit! Perfect end to a day in the sun.

Birthday at Don’s…How Great. Burger was excellent, crispy fries were cooked perfectly, Bailey was very attentive and friendly, and the rest of staff appeared to be genuinely upbeat. One of the best burgers going in TV. Great ambiance, especially if you you like «the good old days».

I ordered a burger with onion rings and have a some milk shake. Very good and super close to home when i don’t want to drive across town to Slabtown.

Very poor quality food and wildly overpriced. Dry, unseasoned burgers. Huge thick fries straight from the GFS bag that get soggy, not crisp. Slow, indifferent service. The malts and shakes were fine, but a round of cheeseburgers and fries for four was $ 74! Absolutely unacceptable for food of this quality.
Traverse City is a tourist town but January is not tourist season and I very much resent being taken advantage of. There are lots of restaurants in town, almost all of which have better food and more reasonable prices. My husband grew up nearby and we came here out of his sense of nostalgia. We won’t be back.

Fun décor and a great little historical spot… there is even a mural of what Traverse City looked like at that same spot, back in the 60s! (Sometimes it is hidden up by chairs, just ask the waitstaff if you want to see it.)
Service is very relaxed, you might have to get up and ask for something you need on a slow day, but all in all, great food for a fair price. Do not come unless you are ready to be a little piggy, though! :)

Greasy little place with great shakes, chili dogs and fries. Good food but small dining room and crazy crowded during tourist season. Its also gotten pretty expensive for basic fried foods but it is nice to support a local business in east bay.

I’m sad to report in that a double d burger basket with milkshake now cost more than a meal st Mcgee’s 72. I feel like each winter they have raised it a dollar. Im co paring old menus. I get that there is inflation and peices chwnge. But When a burger combo with a milkshake is $ 20, I can no longer afford this food for the same quality as Mcgees. I like Dons, but it has just gotten way too pricey for the quality.

Went tonight with my daughter, had the quarter pound mushroom and Swiss and we shared a chocolate cherry shake. She got the slider kids meal. I would have given it more stars if the meet had any kind of flavor or seasoning to it. I had to salt and pepper it to give it flavor as I don’t like mustard, ketchup or mayo. My daughter’s slider was so small I had to share part of my burger with her. Not a fan of the fries, they’re Huge beef steak fries that don’t get crispy enough. I could also taste freezer burn. I lived here for years, and have gone once… And now that my daughter has experienced it, I don’t see a need to go back. $ 22 seems like a lot for an adult and kids meal.

We always come to Don’s when visiting Traverse City. Burgers are the big, juicy and the best, made with quality meat. Good prices and great shakes! Can’t go wrong at Don’s!

Their burgers taste like they made the patties on the spot and grilled them with love. We got carry-​out, and the packaging is top notch. Individual condiments and silverware. Would eat here again, for sure

What a great burger place! I like that I can get a ¹⁄₈ lb burger and add cool stuff like green olives. The décor takes you back in time. Serving staff is all great too!!!

It was fine, but not special. Burger was typical. Fries were okay but nothing amazing. The malts were excellent.

Neat 1950’s style diner. The service was good and the food tasted alright but I’m giving this place one star because I got food poisoning from their tuna salad. I am very confident that it was their food because I was on a camping trip with friends and we had ate all the same foods prior to eating at this diner. My case may be an isolated incident but it shows that they don’t handle their food with the caution that is expected of them.

Food and service excellent! Homemade so yummy! I give this place all thumbs up!

My husband and I stopped here for a quick bite. There’s an «extension» or whatever of Don’s by us down in Novi, MI. Not sure if this place is a chain, or how related the two places are.
Either way, the place is bright, very clean, and has the feel of an old 50’s diner. Some of the stuff looks like it might’ve originally been from the 50s since it was in some shabbier condition. But nothing was horrible. We sat inside the restaurant and ordered 3 sliders and an order of fries to share.
The sliders aren’t like other sliders I’m accustomed to. I’m used to sliders being a little greasy with sauteed onions, melty american cheese and a pickle. Don’s seems to view sliders as just tiny hamburgers with all the fixings that regular hamburgers come with. That’s inaccurate, in my opinion. So the «slider» was a little dry, but still good.
The fries were standard fries that seemed straight out of the freezer bag. Nothing stellar, but not bad either.
Our server was friendly (what’s with the stupid uniforms the women have to wear?!), and the food was prompt. I can’t complain, but not sure I’ll be back.

Burgers were amazing! Of course, the chocolate shake was great as well. Love the fresh French fries. Took a few minutes to get our food but it was fresh and delicious and our server was excellent — friendly, polite, very accommodating. We got the nostalgic feel of the drive-​in vintage experience –really sweet place. We’ll definitely come back!
If you’re from out of town, don’t waste your money on GMO corporate garbage… Try supporting a great local place with fresh ingredients!

What’s to say… Everything has been pretty accurate in the reviews. It’s a greasy spoon and there is a wonderful sheen upon my iPhone as I type this!
The fries were underwhelming. They were thick cut steak fries, and kids probably go crazy for them. But nothing wrong with them in general.
The burger was large and liked high with fresh toppings. It might have actually been a real tomato (and not a grocery store Monsanto creation). It was real meat (yea!) but under seasoned. In a greasy spoon, don’t be afraid to open the flavor profile!
The waitstaff was great. Cheerful and helpful! They steered me to where I needed to be… As in, «Stay with the burgers and get a Shake». See my pics for the daily changing burger menu!
After reading the reviews, I had to commit to the item that apparently put this place on the map… Fresh Fruit Cherry Malt (malt is sweeter than the shake).
Thank you Unilocalers! While I was hovering in the 3.5−4 star range… Decent food, good service, kitschy 50s diner… The Malted bought them a star!
Apparently this place is 5 Stars if you know how to do it… So 5 stars it is!

If you’re coming here in summer, especially around the 4^th of July, keep things in perspective. It’s busy. Really busy. One can sit down and eat inside or do the Drive-​In experience outside. Super cute young waitress did the best she could considering how busy they were.
Service was slow and they screwed up our order a little. We loved the sliders, chicken tenders and shakes. The sliders with onions and pickle are as close as you’re going to get to a White Castle up here so if that is your thing order up. I did and I thought they were great!
We went to Pirates Cove mini golf just down the block after and had a great day!