The same way that most people growing up these days have had that ever present burger, born under an arch of gold, “billions sold worldwide”, in most of their lives, a local San Francisco take-out hamburger stand was a part of my life as long as I can remember.  That would be the small, extremely local chain called Tic Tock Drive In.

Tic Tock Drive Ins were our McDonald’s a long time before that clown Ronald made his way to The City in the early 70’s.  Tic Tock #1 opened on July 20 1953

It wasn’t the first drive-in restaurant in San Francisco.  Mel’s was first, opening their original location at South Van Ness and Mission (the “American Graffiti” movie location) in 1947. But for me, there was a Tic Tock right down the block from my house on Ocean and Alemany (at Cayuga) in the Excelsior. But Tic Tock distinguished itself as the “first of its kind self-service drive-in type of operation”. What’s that mean? Get out of your car, walk up to the window and tell them what you want. No carhop is skating up to take your order.

My Tic Tock, the first of five, was located at Ocean and Alemany. It opened in July 1953, when two San Franciscans, both Galileo High alumni, a Korean War vet and his Merchant Marine partner decided to start up what was becoming a hot business trend, following the lead of those two McDonald brothers from San Bernardino.

The big revelation? “Self-Service Type”. It’s not like you assembled your own cheeseburger. But no waiter or waitress was bringing it out to you. Like today, you went to the counter, ordered, and picked up your bag of food to-go. Wow. The future is here!

I distinctly remember their deals: a bag of five burgers for (in 1968) a buck and a quarter. But checking out their ads from the 1950’s really makes you long for the past

Of course that 89 cent chicken deal, adjusting for inflation, would be around $11 today. Still, Chef Tic Tock was offering a pretty good bargain any way you look at it. And, along with newspaper ads plugging the latest meal deals, Tic Tock management made sure to hype any and all minutia about their fantastic food.

You’ll notice the ads highlight four Tic Tock locations: North Beach, Bayview, Outer Mission (Excelsior) and Sharp Park (Pacifica). Here’s the timeline:

We covered Tic Tock #1: Ocean at Alemany, corner of Cayuga. A block from Balboa High. Opened in 1953.

Tic Tock #2 opened a year later in July, 1954, at 5211 Third St at Wallace in the Bayview. where currently (ironically?) stands a McDonalds with a drive-thru.

Tic Tock #3 opened a year later in July, 1955, in North Beach on Columbus (the ads say “at Chestnut”. I can’t picture the location, and I drive past there at least twice a week on my day job…)

According to local legend, rock superstar Carlos Santana was a dishwasher here, before deciding to follow his passion and talent and serving up hot guitar licks at Fillmore Auditorium and the rest would be music history.   

Tic Tock #4 is listed in Pacific Manor at Sharp Park, Pacifica. As much as I searched I cannot for the time of me figure out this Tic Tock location. In this photo from the Pacifica Historical Society they show the Pacific Manor area in 1953. Pretty sparse, and the area south, towards Sharp Park, even more so.

I remember the SeaVue Theater (currently a Walgreens) at Manor Drive and Palmetto because my dad drove me down there from Daly City, on that scary, long-closed, two-lane road that hugged the cliffs above Montara Beach that went from Westlake Blvd (currently John Daly Blvd) to Manor Drive. Was Tic Tock #4 across from Mazzetti’s Bakery, on the East side of the highway? Was in in the current Safeway lot, maybe where the Valero gas station sits? Ya got me. Anyone? Bueller?

Tic Tock #5 never seemed to make the ad. 100 Third St and Channel at the Lefty O’Doul Bridge (Islais Creek- “Shits Creek” to some Natives) opened in 1958. Unlike the other locations, this one was a big hit for local truck drivers, who were working out of warehouses all around China Basin, South of Market, “Dogpatch”, and other industrial points south on 3^rd. With its indoor seating, the parking lot would be full at all times of day with trucks from Willig, Consolidated Freightways, CME (“Cal Motors”), and other trucking outfits. I was a mover with Bekins Van and Storage, and that rowdy crew hogged several tables every afternoon during coffee break.

Tic Tock was open until 3am on Friday and Saturday Nights. Unfortunately, they saw their share of trouble over the years.

Some Tic Tock Drive Ins lasted into the 1980’s. This entry in Herb Caen’s daily column on July 28, 1980 told the end story of the Original on Ocean Avenue.

The Tic Tock #2 location is currently a McDonald’s drive thru.

I couldn’t’ find info on when Tic Tock #3 on Columbus Avenue was torn down. It might be the newer apartments/condos across from LaRocca’s Corner. I’m not sure.

They were still hiring staff at #5 on 3rd and Channel as late as 1990, as that area began its gentrification and property values started to soar with the promise of a new ballpark for the Giants right on Shits…um, Islais Creek. Tic Tock didn’t exist much later than that.

But my memories of Tic Tock, cloudy as they might be, are filled with visions of bags brimming with really tasty cheeseburgers, 5-in-a-bag for a buck 25. I recall the delicious SeaBurger (their superior version of a Filet-O-Fish sandwich) on a Friday during Lent. I remember riding our bikes down and hanging on the perimeter of the crowds of Balboa Buccaneers hanging out in the parking lot (and, then being expressly forbidden to go down there unescorted, after the drive-by in ’65. Hey, I was only in the FOURTH grade, ferchrrisakes!). I fondly recall cups of strong coffee, good donuts, and great company and laughs shared with the crew from Bekins at Tic Tock #5, several afternoons a week during the 80’s