Concession stand restaurant brings back Kentucky drive-in movie flavor

Raise your hand if you ever snuck into a drive-in theater in the trunk of a car.

Now raise your hand if you want to relive those days, but maybe skip the dark, (ssshhh! we’re pulling up to the booth), squished (keep your voice down!) disoriented (are we in yet?) ride past the ticket booth.

You can order a hearty meal of nostalgia at The Drive-In Diner in Stanton, a retro-style restaurant that opened July 2025 inside the Mountain View Drive-In’s concession stand.

Although regularly scheduled movies stopped at the end of the 2016 season — more on that below — the main feature is now inside the renovated concession stand with a menu of hand-pressed burgers, chili dogs and homemade desserts. You can even dive into a free bag of freshly made popcorn while you wait for your order.

The 1950s aesthetic immediately hits you as you drive through the repainted box office, up a slight incline past the gravel-filled rows once lined with cars, and finally to the concession stand, its white cinder block walls now covered with cute, movie-themed murals.

Co-owners Brandy Kirk and Ruby Rice say they have to give newcomers a moment to soak it all in when they enter what was once the concession stand for the drive-in that opened in 1956.

“When they walk in, they have so many memories because they spent so much time here growing up,” said Kirk.

Kirk and Rice made a point to highlight the history of the Mountain View, decorating it with vintage items actually used at the Eastern Kentucky drive-in.

Inside the restaurant are metal movie reels used for the drive-in’s two screens, one unwound movie reel covers a wall with 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” Drive-speakers sit on window sills as the concession stand’s popcorn maker once again fills the small space with its rhythmic crack of kernels.

“We just wanted a happy place for people to come and talk about nostalgic stuff, and some kids have never been to the drive-in,” said Rice.

What’s on the menu at The Drive-In Diner?

The fun continues on The Drive-In Diner’s menu with movie-themed items. Whether it’s previews (appetizers) or features (sandwiches and burgers), each is tied to notable film.

Lord of the Rings (hand-cut battered banana peppers; $6), Some Like It Hot (homemade chili dog; $4) and the Bacon Me Crazy (1/2-pound bacon cheeseburger; $7) are some of the highlights. They also have a main attraction (daily special) and on a recent visit, it was Hamageddon (a double stacked ham, bacon and cheese sandwich).

But the two protagonists on the menu are the burgers and desserts.

The eight burger options are hand formed daily, using the drive-in’s hamburger press.

“I don’t know how many burgers have been pressed on that, but I know how many we’ve pressed on it, and it’s a lot, and it’s still going strong,” said Kirk.

The two most popular burgers are the Ratatoullie (an 8 oz. pattie topped with fried onions, bacon and homemade beer cheese; $10) and The Big Screen (two 8 oz. patties, pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, and banana peppers; $12).

All the desserts are homemade, many from family recipes. Rice makes the popular banana pudding and cakes like yellow cake with caramel sauce (each $4). While Kirk handles the cheesecakes, which rotate with daily flavors like Reese’s, Oreo, Turtle and more ($6 a slice).

But what’s a trip to a drive-in without ice cream? The hand-scooped ice cream is used for waffle cones, sundaes and floats. But the end credits of your visit should be the 16-oz. milkshakes made with heavy whipping cream.

Expansion and drive-in movies

Word of mouth has helped The Drive-In Dinner grow. They recently expanded their hours and plan to add pizzas, serving up hot 16-inch pies.

Kirk and Rice said it fills their hearts to see families come back to the drive-in grounds for events like car shows and concerts.

And this summer, on the second Saturday from April-October, the restaurant has partnered with Powell County Tourism to bring back movies to the drive-in’s one reaming screen. So far, the free-screenings have included classic films like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Grease.”

“We knew our community would support us, but we didn’t realize how much they supported us,” said Rice.

Added Kirk, “It’s a real fun environment. We try really hard to make it fun and family friendly and want people to have a good time. And we want the food to be good too, but we want to bring back all those memories and all that nostalgia and the fun and family environment as well. I think that’s important to both of us”

The Drive-In Diner

Where: 1327 College Ave., Stanton, visible from the Mountain Parkway, about 15 minutes drive from Natural Bridge State Park and a little less than an hour from downtown Lexington

Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tue.-Sat.

Phone: (606) 481-6630

Brian Simms

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-9041

Brian Simms has been with the Herald-Leader for 20-plus years, most recently reporting and editing coverage of restaurants, bars, food and bourbon. He is also a photographer and manages the newspapers photo archive that dates back to the late 1930s. Support my work with a digital subscription