Neon lights announce this is a hamburger grill and malt shop. You swing off North 42nd Street and into a large, paved parking lot. You give your order at the counter. They ask your name. You take a seat. They call your name. You pick up your burger and proceed to an extensive topping bar. There you can put anything your heart desires on your burger.
You take your malt—in the metal can. You eat your burger, your fries and your malt. Or maybe you prefer a soft drink. You can have free refills from the machine in the dining room.
This is a happy place. This is Topper’s.
On our first visit, there were quite a few people. On our second stop last Thursday night, all the tables but one were full. We sat down at the last table and looked around. There was a couple at the next table enjoying each other. As they talked they would put their heads together. Then she spoon-fed him the last of her malt.
Ah, yes. This is the reincarnation of a 1950s malt shop, and it is done well. The walls are white. The accent colors are pink and green. There are neon lights. There is a nickelodeon. On one wall, there are checked running shoes arranged in a trail with a sign saying, “Let’s dance.” Near the front, there are plastic records in various colors just swinging in the breeze.
The hamburgers are good. They are even better when you add tomato, lettuce, pickles and onions. The malts are ample. For $1.85, you get a malt with 15 ounces of ice cream and three ounces of milk. And the ice cream is homemade. There are 16 flavors available, and you can have it in plain or sugar cones. Topper’s even has tiny cones that go with the children’s meals, or separately for 27 cents.
Ideas for flavors come from the customers, according to Jane Borman, who, with her husband, John, operates Topper’s. She said new flavors are added regularly to the repertoire.
The Bormans are succeeding in a location where several other restaurants have failed. What they did, she says, is to change the image of the place. People seem to like it. And the location close to Crown Colony theaters and UND [University of North Dakota] seems to help. It’s a happy place to be—a good place to go on a cloudy day if you enjoy being around people.
The tables are covered with yellow and white plastic cloths. There are salt and pepper shakers made from canning jars. Plastic containers of mustard and catsup are on each table. And there are little trays of Trivial Pursuit cards, which people seem to enjoy as they wait for their food.
There’s no real menu at Topper’s. You just read the board above the counter as you come in. You can order burgers, bratwurst, hot dogs, tacos, fish or chicken sandwiches, pita clubs, chili or vegetable soup. You also can get beer or wine at Topper’s. In fact, there is one section of the restaurant partitioned off by empty cardboard beer cases.
My idea of fun is eating a hamburger loaded with toppings. I like to go and let my imagination run wild. The french fries look great, but I try not to eat them. My first choice at Topper’s is a hamburger and a cone. For variety the other night, I tried a fajita pita, and Constant Companion had a bratwurst.
Topper’s succumbed to a fire and the site is now home to a bank.