Iconic Graffiti-era Modesto burger joint sold to new owner with deep Valley roots
You don’t just buy a Modesto institution. You gently become its steward and, if you’re lucky, get to guide it through another 60 or so years.
That’s the approach Robert Wilson is taking when it comes to taking over ownership of Fast Eddie’s Meal-On-A-Bun. The Tully Road burger joint, know to its fans as MOAB, is one of the small handful of remaining “American Graffiti”-era drive-in restaurants still operating across Modesto.
The owner of the Divine Swine in Modesto’s Roseburg Square shopping center recently bought the venerable burger stand from its longtime owner Eddie Gibson, whose nickname “Fast Eddie” has become part of the restaurant’s name and lore.
But don’t worry, MOAB lovers, the new guy is keeping the name. And the burgers. And the aquarium full of enormous fish. And the copious bric-a-brac. And, he hopes, the special something that has made MOAB a family favorite for almost seven decades and counting.
“The absolute last thing we want to do is to harm the integrity of what makes this place special,” Wilson said. “Our goal is to make sure MOAB can continue on as long as it can with as few changes as possible.”
That includes seeing Eddie himself around the joint. Gibson has lived across the alley from the restaurant for years and still has a key to it with Wilson’s full blessing. But, after working at MOAB since he was in the eighth grade back in 1962, he said it was simply time to retire.
“You know, I’m 73 and I’m exhausted,” Gibson said. “And this place needs new eyes.”
New owner’s been interested for years
Gibson said his wife’s health also needs more attention than the full-time owner of a restaurant can give. So he reached out to Wilson, who had previously expressed interest in buying the restaurant years before.
Indeed, Gibson gave Wilson a friendly ultimatum: If he didn’t buy it, he’d likely close the restaurant for good.
“I just couldn’t let a Modesto institution close,” Wilson said, so they made a deal last fall.
Wilson is no stranger to restaurants. The 1996 Davis High graduate spent a decade working in corporate restaurants like Black Angus and BJ’s. Then in 2016, he opened the Divine Swine in a corner spot in the longstanding college-area neighborhood shopping center. The space previously was home to the restaurants Appétez and Tidewater Station.
Divine Swine sits just about a half mile directly to the east of MOAB, as the hungry crow flies. The burger place’s origins trace back to the 1940s. Its founders, Sidney and Felicia Cheatham, had owned the then-popular Walking Chicken restaurant on Paradise Road. Then in the late ’40s, they opened a drive-in burger stand on First and H streets across from Modesto High.
The Meal-On-A-Bun name was coined by one of their customers – another Modesto legend, Erv Keller of Keller’s Gift fame – while marveling at a hearty burger in its signature paper wrapper. The Cheathams opened the Tully Road site in 1954 as their second MOAB location.
Gibson, then a teenager, started working there sweeping the parking lots in 1962. His parents bought the restaurant in 1965 and three years later remodeled the interior to add its current dining room. Fast Eddie, who was given the nickname by another customer, bought it from them in 1975 and has been zooming through its kitchen and dining room ever since.
Expect small menu changes
About three weeks ago, Wilson quietly took over operating the restaurant, and last week made it official with a post on the MOAB and Divine Swine social media pages.
What he has received in return, besides pleas to keep the restaurant the same, are memories – so many generations of memories, including Wilson’s own.
“I remember, my dad and I would go get a haircut next door and then come here and get a burger together and I’d feel like a big boy,” he said. “And since I took over, I’ve heard 200 stories similar to that. So many people who came here with their grandparents. With their friends after school. They’d play pinball and Ms. Pac-Man. It’s super cool to be the caretaker of all of that history.”
Now — and don’t let this scare you — there are some changes. They don’t hand-write their tickets anymore, instead using a digital ordering and payment system. That also means MOAB can now accept online orders from its new website.
They’ve also trimmed a tad of the menu, so no more fish sandwich and no more rye bread. But they are adding beer and wine soon, so you can finally have a burger and a brew. Otherwise, the menu remains largely the same, with the MOAB signature quarter-pound burgers starting at $7, all manner of fries, and fresh-made shakes.
Also, Wilson said if a favorite item of yours isn’t on the menu and they have the ingredients in the back, they’d still be happy to special order it for you.
The look inside right now is also largely the same, though cleaned up. Wilson reinstalled the original booths that sat along the restaurant’s front wall. They had been in storage for years, and now give the space an authentic feel.
Eventually, Wilson said he plans to organize the memorabilia, antiques and other oddities Gibson accumulated piece by piece over the years. The walls are also festooned with photos of Fast Eddie’s adrenaline-filled former pastimes. Over the years, his high-adventure hobbies have included skydiving, scuba diving for cadavers and racing boats.
Wilson said he plans to start putting some of his family photos up as well, to add another chapter to MOAB’s already rich and colorful history.
“This is a very special place to me and we’re trying to be considerate of any changes we make. We’re only making them so we can keep this business and the memories around it around for a long time to come. We love it, too.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
