I took this picture at my old house at least 8 years ago when we were about to leave to the store and someone had backed up a couple times and made these perfect two hearts and my mom stopped the car before driving over them so I could take a picture and I dont know how you could ever do that again if you tried but this is one of the most important photos to me I have ever taken
The Hat-O-Mat Drive-In Restaurant is what nightmares are made of.
Apparently, its eyes rolled from side to side and its nose opened to serve food. It was so popular upon opening in the 1950s that cars would line U.S. 422 just to get a glimpse of it. I guess I can see the appeal but I just know it would have traumatized me as a kid.
The Hat-O-Mat was located directly next to a popular restaurant called Ma Perkins Inn. The Hat closed in the 1960s. Ma Perkins did too. Ma’s briefly became a nightclub called the Freak Out, which burned down by the end of the decade. The Niles Historical Society is quoted saying that the Hat-O-Mat is still standing but I don’t think that’s true.
Using HistoricAerials as a guide, I found where the old Hat was located. Its round shape is easy to spot on the map in 1951 but by 1962, it appears overgrown. It was still there in 1994 but a new building had been built beside it. By 2006, it was gone. Today, it’s a Drive-Thru that sells beer, wine and lottery tickets. Notice the same house is still located across the street.
For a hot minute, I thought I had found it nestled in between two older motels. I also included the screenshot of that building. It was roughly the same size and located less than a mile from the real location so you can understand my mistake. Located in Niles, Ohio.
