A Look Back at Higgs Drive-In

The Higgs Drive-In located in Fort Pierce, Florida, was an iconic gathering place and restaurant in the mid twentieth century, especially for the local youth. Opened by three brothers: Paul, Wallace and Horace Higgs in 1947, the drive-in quickly grew to a community staple. In an opening announcement for the drive-in on Monday, September 29th, 1947, the Fort Pierce Tribune details that the drive-in will specialize in “complete fountain service, sandwiches, hamburgers and other other popular foods.” In addition, Higgs Drive-In manufactured their own ice cream.

Advertisements ran in the Fort Pierce Tribune in 1948 for their “Sunday Dinner Special,” which was a chicken basket priced at 99 cents. The original drive-in had a seating capacity of 54 and parking accommodations for nearly 150 cars. The Higgs brothers had prior hospitality and food service experience; all having worked at a soda fountain in their hometown of Macon, Georgia during their youth.

A few years after opening, Horace bought out his brothers in the business and opened a new location in March of 1954. Horace was a WWII veteran and served overseas in the South Pacific Theater for 28 months according to his obituary. The newly opened location featured a dance patio, a juke box machine and concrete tables & benches, with the ability to serve up to 250 customers at one time. Throughout the mid-century, company baseball and softball leagues of Higgs Drive-In were popular and well attended in Fort Pierce, Florida. Sadly the Higgs Drive-In closed in 1964.