Snow or shine, Brooklyn Park drive-in employees serve loyal customers

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - Snow is part of doing business in Minnesota, and that can mean serving customers outside.

Being able to stay in the car is definitely the big perk of going to Wagner Drive-In, but unfortunately, that means employees have to trudge through the snow to get to customers.

Around mid-afternoon, the snow plows came through to clear the parking lot and prepare for a potential regular customer rush.

"You should have been here during lunch. Almost every spot was taken," said Jim Wagner, the owner of Wagner’s Drive-In.

Wagner has seen blizzards that would make Tuesday's snowfall look like kids' stuff.

"The convenience of just driving up and getting food's really nice," said customer Jacob Vander Weit. "I love the food at Wagner's. We come here quite often."

At Wagner's, customers come for that convenience but stay for more than three decades of nostalgia, thankful for those serving them with a smile, and perhaps, a hand warmer.

"People wonder why I'm open during the winter. Well, my dad was a car manager. And so we started making food for car dealers. And Minnesotans being as hardy as they are, they see a car here, they come in and, ‘Can I get a sandwich?’" Wagner said.

Customers weren’t thrilled about the weather Tuesday.

"I'm a truck driver. It's been miserable. Not fun at all," said customer Mark Tomberlin.

But for the hardiest Minnesotans, not even miserable road conditions can keep them from supporting their small business staples and offering comfort food for thought to their fellow drivers.

"Take it easy. Don't use your cruise control and keep your distance – the usual stuff that unfortunately, too many people don't do," Tomberlin said.

He also asked that drivers give truck drivers enough room on the roads.