Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Hot Wheels: A teal 1931 Model A sedan sits in front of the Happy Dayz Diner in Campbell. The restaurant attracts dozens of antique car owners every week who show off their collectible vehicles.
Classic cars cruise up to the old-time diner every week
Diner's owner upholds tradition of hosting the popular Hot Rod Night
By Erin Mayes
You can have your shoes repaired, buy a cheap TV, peruse the gifts at Smokey the Bandit's, find a reptile or practice archery indoors at the Maplewood Plaza on Union Avenue. Heck, you can get your clock cleaned.
But of all of the eclectic items you can buy and see at the center, the business that makes its presence known colorfully and audibly on a regular basis is the Happy Dayz Diner, 2638 Union Ave.
On Thursday nights--the diner's busiest night of the week--dozens of old, souped-up cars cram into the parking lot a little before 5 p.m. They sit there for a few hours while their owners walk around, admiring other owners' shiny new paint jobs and gleaming chrome. Hoods are propped open, and the sterile, winding, freshly scrubbed innards of engines are presented to onlookers.
Oldies but goodies are blasting from speakers propped up on tripods, and a disc jockey interrupts now and then to call out "No. 67, your order is ready."
Welcome to Hot Rod Night.
Joe Barba, a 30-year Campbell resident, says he's been bringing his car to the show for two years. He discovered it as he drove past it on Union Avenue one day, and curiosity got the better of him.
"It's great," Barba says. "It's a lot of fun--I'm here every Thursday."
Ron Burton, also a Campbell resident, enjoys showing off his cherry red '56 Corvette. He says he's been attending the car shows for six years because he finished working on the Corvette six years ago, although he's owned it for 29 years.
"It's my toy," Burton says. "It's just an expensive toy."
Happy Dayz owner Dennis McIntyre started inviting car owners to display their hard work in front of his diner in March. The diner's previous owner had done the same, and the tradition is now about eight years old.
The 42-year-old Milpitas restaurateur purchased the business about three years ago and says the secret to his success is keeping the surrounding business owners happy. Before he took over, Happy Dayz' owners were being deluged by complaints from neighbors, who said they were losing business because of a lack of parking. McIntyre has turned parking into a fine art, sending three employees around the parking lot with walkie-talkies, directing drivers in and out of spaces, and most importantly, keeping the hot rods out of neighboring business' spaces.
The result is a majority of the parking lot packed bumper to bumper, double-parked every which way, and a few empty spots in front of the other businesses.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Pure Power: Cupertino resident Don Harr shows off the 550 HP autocrosser engine of his 1982 Chevy Corvette at the Happy Dayz Diner in Campbell.
It might seem like somewhat of an inconvenience, but McIntyre's crew must be doing a decent job, because neighbors are allowing car shows to occur five nights of the week, although Thursdays always take the cake.
Tuesdays are Volkswagen nights; Wednesdays are biker nights; Thursdays are for everyone; Fridays are Harley Davidson nights; and Saturdays are for the mopars--Chryslers, Dodges and Plymouths.
A parking lot jam-packed with classic cars keeps a line of hungry people hanging out the front door, but McIntyre says his hamburgers have earned a name for themselves.
"We've got a hamburger that's this big," he says, holding his hands about a foot apart. "People come from far away once you've got a good reputation going."
McIntyre comes from a family entrenched in the restaurant business. He also owns a Foster's Freeze in Milpitas, which his wife, Joann, manages. The couple, who live in Milpitas, bought the restaurant from his father in 1992. His father had taken over the business from his aunt in 1979. She had owned the business since 1964.
Another key to operating successfully is his employees, McIntyre says. He maintains a friendly rapport with the high school students he employs.
"I treat the kids like they're my own, and they treat me with the same respect," he says.
In fact, one of his employees who started at the Foster's Freeze has been working for McIntyre for eight years, since he was 16 years old and will be taking over the operation of the Happy Dayz Diner.
"If I had to choose to sell this to anybody in the world, I'd choose him," McIntyre says.
McIntyre plans to take a little time off in the near future to visit with his father, who has become ill recently. But he says, "I'm going to need to be here Thursdays, no matter what."
The Thursday event attracts people of all ages and races, although the participants are predominantly men. Even owners of brand new racing cars bring their vehicles to the Thursday night shows. Some of the vehicles--Honda Civics and Acura Integras--are lowered and decorated with spoilers that reach for the sky. Owners of the classic cars tend to look down on the new racing cars, but no rules bar the new breeds from visiting.
Campbell, California
