20 years ago now (wow!) I embarked on a quest to visit all the remaining Dog n Suds restaurants. At the time there were 15. It’s now down to seven. One of these, surprisingly, is in Paragould, Arkansas. I say surprising because, on my first visit, the place had a soon-to-be-out-of-business vibe.
That visit was so unspectacular, that I never made an effort to return, even though I now live in Arkansas. But when my other adventures on this day took me right through Paragould right at lunchtime, I decided to give it another try.
So far as I can tell, not a thing has been changed or updated since my first visit almost 18 years ago. Based on photos I’ve seen online, the neon is still out in half the sign. The intercom system, which I described as “antiquated” is now kaput. You can still order from your car by dialing a phone number, but I opted for eating inside.
From my booth, there wasn’t one single bit of Dog n Suds branding that I could see. I could, however, see the menu of Salvadoran foods available at this location, which seemed very NOT Dog n Suds.
Much of the traditional menu is still available, so I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fried mushrooms, and, of course, a root beer.
Alas, thanks to my last bout of Covid, I can no longer taste a lot of sweet things. The root beer only gave me a hint of what I knew it tasted like.
The burger was a typical diner burger, which means it wasn’t bad. The mushrooms were delicious. After I ate, I looked around for any branding and found floor mats.
And the sign painted on the window that was there 18 years ago.
It was much busier this time. The small dining area was about two-thirds full, and I saw one of the waitresses heading outside with to-go bags several times. But it was still sad. Considering that I can no longer taste the root beer, the only reason to return is nostalgia, and that isn’t a good enough reason to drive all the way to Paragould.
Will this be the last time I ever eat at a Dog n Suds?