Barbecue at LaMotte's Drive-In

LaMotte's Drive-In Restaurant - West Main Street - Spartanburg, SC

I found the picture up above a long time ago somewhere on the internet and grabbed it for my memories. I have no idea of when that photo was taken, nor do I know who to give credit to for it, but whoever you are...Thanks a bunch!

You can't tell it with black & white pictures, but LaMotte's building exterior was Art Deco with light pink-ish colored stucco. Very cool! 
  

LaMotte's was located on West Main St. between Forest and Walker Streets. The above picture is from the September 16, 1972 edition of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal newspaper. According to the caption on this photo LaMotte's was "A brief but popular landmark in Spartanburg in the 1940s and 1950s" and was "one of the forerunners of today's short order sandwich houses".

I remember going to LaMotte's with my parents in the early 1950s. They ordered me a pimento cheese sandwich “lightly toasted” and we ate in the car. Although I know that pimento cheese is what they ordered me many times, I mostly remember the BBQ sandwich....minced pork with a delicious red sauced, finely minced slaw on it and a toasted bun. I remember my mother saying, “It's cool weather now, we can go to LaMotte's and get the BBQ” because she was afraid of spoiled meat, pork in particular, in the summertime. LaMotte's is long gone. I wish I could find a BBQ like this again. 

Above is a composite pic of both the front & back of an advertising matchbook cover from LaMotte's which my husband found on eBay and bought for me as a surprise. That was so great of him to do! And look! On the matchbook cover is proof..."LaMotte's For Better Barbecue Sandwiches".....so the barbecue WAS special at LaMotte's!

Whether the BBQ was as good as I remember is probably something I'll never know for sure. I do know that going to LaMotte's with my parents is forever embedded in my fondest childhood memories.