Wayne’s Drive-In

I normally don’t like when people put things other than chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie, but the walnut they add in there makes their cookie the best ever. everrrrr. yum

A real neat throw back 50’s 60’s style drive in. I think they have carhops during the summer but this is early October. The burgers, with the slab of butter, are awesome. Reminds me of Butter Bun from years ago. Great service, great menu. The real only downfall for us was the small amount of indoor seating it has. But never the less, well worth a visit or two.

This has the worst burgers, fries and malts in the town. McDonald’s is better. And I do not go there. After my family of 6 starting eating we were all ready to toss our food and eat somewhere else.

I am a huge fan of real, actual diners, which Wayne’s definitely is. Simple yet cheap menu is how it should be. The 50’s style décor can’t be beat. The food itself was decent, yet I agree with Lori about their butter that they put on that just kinda falls off the burger itself. I definitely wanna go back for their Corvette nights. It is very small inside. Maybe only 5 tables or so but there is outdoor seating for great summer weather days. What I also like is you order at the counter, they call out your number and you pick up the food, so you don’t have to spend extra money on tips. That is a diner first for me, but it’s a good thing.
Very cool to know that a diner like this exists only 20 minutes north of where I live.

Fun place for the family on a nice day. Not much seating inside but lots of space outside. Classic burgers and fries with some healthier options like turkey burgers. Advertises car hops on Thursday nights so we’ll have to come back and try that.

I just don’t get all the hype about this place. It is a cute place with 1950’s throwback décor but how do you call a place a drive-​in when they don’t serve you at your car?
The burgers are allegedly their claim to fame. The meat is good quality but they put a disgusting huge dollop of butter on top which makes condiments run off the patty. I understand the lure of a butter burger but this is a little over the top. The bun was actually dry so I don’t know if the butter was there to disguise the over crisp texture.
People obviously think that this place is the best in the world but maybe because there aren’t a ton of good burger places in Cedarburg. It was crazy crowded with a line over 10 deep and they didn’t open up another register. Our service was decent but I can see where they might have service issues.
Pricing was a bit high for the quality. Everything is priced ala carte including tomato and lettuce. A plain cheeseburger, fries and soda will run you $ 7.70 which isn’t horribly expensive but it just wasn’t that amazing. Personally I will stick with my Milwaukee burger joints and be happy.

We love going for the shakes and malts. You can’t typically find ice cream like this. Cute 50’s style, clean, and friendly service. Popular place for car enthusiasts too.

Great Food. Great Ice Cream.

The ice cream is good but don’t expect a thank you unless you’re the one giving it. Staffed by high school/​college students. None really seem to like their job. There are many other places to get ice cream and a burger so why put up with unfriendly service? I hear their burgers are really good, not sure it’s worth the trip back though

Let’s talk about Wisconsin butter burgers!
I stopped in town to visit family in Cedarburg, and it was suggested we try Wayne’s for a quick and cheap dinner. I am always a fan of eating local, so I was on board!
We stopped in on a busy Friday night. Tons of kids were running around that looked like they had just finished a soccer game or something. It seems like a «go to» spot for the «after the game» crowd. Seating was a little tricky to find– there isn’t much if this place is busy. Be prepared to eat in your car true drive-​in style if you go during peak hours!
So the menu is pretty basic, but has everything you need to raise your cholesterol a few points. I stuck with a cheeseburger, and the rest of party ordered burgers as well. We were given a number and sat down to wait for our food to be prepared. It took about 7 minutes, which for how crowded the place was seemed pretty good. We brought our grub back to the table and started to chow down.
I wish I would have known how they buttered their buns. When I lifted off the bun to put some ketchup on the burger, a two tablespoon (!!!) heap of butter was sitting on the bun unmelted. I was pretty grossed out by that. If I had known I would have asked for them not to butter my bun!
Other than the butter overload on the bun, this place really hit its mark. All American burgers, fries and shakes served up in a retro diner? What’s better than that?

I’ll start my review, not having received my food yet, by saying For the price, Wayne’s drive in better be damn good. Despite not being an actual drive in (i.e. no carhops) Wayne’s is in a scenic area of Cedarburg and seems to be quite popular with the locals. $ 11 is a little much, in my opinion for a fast food burger combo but it was delightful. Wayne’s uses locally made Sheboygan hard rolls instead of hamburger buns for their burgers and it makes all the difference in taste. The fries are nothing spectacular, but they are quite a bit better than your standard fast food fries. Also a little ridiculous they charge for refills, and consider yourself lucky if you deal with an employee anyone may consider «pleasant.» Bottom line, If you’re in the area, enjoy a good butter burger and don’t mind paying a little more, stop by Wayne’s Drive In.

A great classic experience to get a burger and shake. It’s a great break from the city and a scenic drive in the fall. You should make the trip at least once a year if not more often.

Went for a drive the other day and came across Wayne’s Drive-​In purely by chance. I’ve been hearing the radio commercials (a little ditty that will get stuck in your head) for quite a while, but never really made this place a destination. First off, it is a really cool looking old diner. It is a round building with lots of funky character and neon signs as well as an enormous parking lot. And as great diners go, it has the polished stainless, the red vinyl and plenty of memorabilia on the walls.
My service was great — waitstaff was happy and full of pep. Everyone who came in the door was greeted immediately and taken care of promptly. I ordered the cheeseburger and a Black Cow and took a seat at the counter.
The burger was very good — well seasoned with a great fresh hard roll and the ever so important, big pat of Wisconsin butter. The Black Cow was made with Cedar Crest ice cream and Sprecher Root Beer — a perfect combo.
Looking forward to going back next week with a bus load!

Best onion rings I’ve ever had, decent burgers, great milk shakes. The Americana atmosphere is also pretty great. Would be an awesome place to go on a summer evening. Portion to price ratio is also pretty nice.

Wayne’s Drive In is great. Burgers, fries, milkshakes and atmosphere are awesome. They keep it very clean and it’s a fun place to go.

I went again last night for Classic Cruise Night and it was sure fun. For those who haven’t been, it’s a night where owners of classic cars park their cars in the parking lot for customers to mutually admire. There is a dj, drawings for prizes throughout the night and a hula hoop contest for kids and then an adults version to cap off the night.
The atmosphere is very family friendly, loads of children around but not too annoying. My grandma and I sat outside and were waited on by a young waitress on rollerskates!
As for the food, I had a Wayne’s burger with fried onions, my grandmother had a grilled cheese and we shared an order of cheese curds. The burger was fresh, cooked really well and the bun was good too. The only thing I noticed was that it was a bit too greasy for my liking. My grandmother enjoyed her grilled cheese but I did notice that it seemed quite small.
Then we come to the cheese curds, my favorite part of the meal. I’m admittedly a huge fan and these are some of the best I’ve had in my limited dining experience. Fresh, full of flavor and accompanied by your choice of dipping sauce.
For dessert, my grandmother had a turtle sundae which she loved being the turtle sundae aficionado that she is. I had «Pirates Booty» ice cream in a waffle bowl that left a little to be desired. I guess I just am not a fan of carmel based custard.
If you are in the area, I’d recommend giving it a shot any day but I believe it is worth a trip from 20 – 30 minutes on Classic Cruise Night.

burgers ok, its a drive inn trying to be retro days gone by,
have had much better for the price $$ at Copps or other drive inn’s in Milwaukee,
the burgers were ok a bit dry tasteing maybe because its a better grade beef? not for me!
Shake was ok,
the best thing Waynes got going is the car shows in the summer time!

As 1950’s-style diners go, this one is exceptional for the following reasons:
1.) Sunday car shows tend to dominate the wide-​open parking lot (situated very conveniently at the intersection of three well-​traveled county roads) during pleasant weather. There’s nothing quite like being able to sip on your chocolate malt — mixed with Milwaukee’s own Cedar Crest icecream — while hovering like a drooling vulture around old T-​birds, Galaxies, F-​100s, or any other well-​preserved, sexy Ford hotrod. After all, there *IS* a lot of money out in Wisconsin’s Ozaukee County, so this is a great place to see it showcased in the form of hotrods. Beautiful, beautiful hotrods.
2.) The vintage sign refers to the restaurant not as Wayne’s Drive-​In, but as Wayne’s World. WAYNE’S WORLD. As a child of the ‘80s, there was no way I could continue driving past. I had to be able to say I ate at Wayne’s World.
3.) Very near to Wayne’s is Covered Bridge Park, which can’t be more than a mile north up, you guessed it, Covered Bridge Road. So if there isn’t any seating available inside the restaurant, and all of the outdoor tables are taken, take your chili dog and cheese fries to go and head out to the «Red Bridge» to read its decades-​old graffiti. Warning: This can and will happen. Thank God Covered Bridge Park is so close, because Cedarburg’s leisurely residents don’t quickly or easily relinquish Wayne’s indoor or outdoor seats.
4.) BBQ Pork sandwich. With pickles. And cole slaw. Do it.
Because Wayne’s is only open part of the year, and it seeks to satisfy a niche market, the proprietors definitely know what to charge for their black-​and-​white checkered ambiance, Big Bopper soundtrack, and hotrod parking lot real estate.
High school girls work here on their summers off from school, and sometimes the predictable error is made on your order. During one visit I sought to order onion rings instead of fries with my combo basket and paid a difference of $ 3 for it. My server/​cashier didn’t bother mentioning this to me during my order. When I returned to ask about the ridiculous charge after re-​inspecting my receipt, she flippantly said there was no way to avoid the charge because of the way their computers are set up to receive orders.
Huh? I could understand this were their «computers» manufactured with the cars that gleam in their parking lot, but that just isn’t the case. At least her highlights were fresh and her ponytail flouncy. I guess?
So the food, at moments, can be worth the price you pay, but at other moments you might be charged much more than you ever expected. The dichotomy of 1950’s-style diners include the people — maybe myself included — who enjoy the kitschy environment but don’t want to pay 21^st century prices. But when your $ 5 bacon cheeseburger is dripping grease down your arm, and your girl is tickled pink that you stopped to get her a strawberry shake before taking her to Covered Bridge to smooch as the sun goes down, you’ll feel like Wayne’s helped you be a part of something.

Ambiance: Retro 50’s carhop/​diner. Vinyl booths, vintage signs, Elivis piped through the speakers.
Beverages: Coke products along with Malts and Shakes made the old fashioned way. I had a Vanilla Malt, it wasn’t anything spectacular, just very *shrugs her shoulders*
Food: Bacon Cheeseburger. If I am paying over four dollars for a Bacon Cheeseburger it better have the following: more than a quarter pound patty and more than one dinky shriveled piece of bacon. GAME OVER. The burger patty itself was dry as can be and while the tablespoon of butter dolloped on there did help it in no way kept this Titanic burger disappointment from sinking. The bun to burger proportion was off with the bun being way more substantial than need be for shrinky dink the burger. The bun itself was excellent and would have complimented a better burger well.
Staff: No carhops when we went even though it was a nice day out. Very disappointed with that, it was one of the reasons I wanted to go. The counter was staffed by teenagers, they were nice but nothing out of this world.
Misc: They have Cedar Crest Ice Cream there if that’s your thing.

Located at Five Corners just north of Hwy 60.
I had a cheeseburger that would have been dry had they not thrown 3 tablespoons of unmelted butter on top. The fries were average. The malt better than average.
For the same price (~$ 4 for a single cheeseburger), you could get a Kopp’s Burger or one at Out & Out just 2 miles away. If you put a Wayne’s Burger next to either of those options, you’d laugh and toss Wayne’s burger aside 100% of the time.
We we ate at Wayne’s in early May, on nice Saturday at 7pm, there were no car-​hops.