Ollie's Trolley: Hop on board the burger express
You won't need a ticket to hop on board Ollie's Trolley — just an appetite for fast-food basics in a nostalgic setting.
While it may look like one of the electric streetcars that rattled up and down tracks throughout Louisville, Ollie's is parked permanently at Third and Kentucky streets. It was part of a chain in the 1970s, each eatery built to look like a bright red-and-gold trolley car and offering a menu centered on burgers, hot dogs, French fries and the like.
Most outlets disappeared — unable to compete with the fast-food burger behemoths — but this one remains downtown. (A few others still exist in other cities, including one in Cincinnati.)
Ordering is simple. Step inside the trolley's cozy interior, place your requests at the window to the right and slide your payment under a security partition. Take about two steps to the window at the left and wait for your food. It never takes long, even on a busy day.
The menu is limited, but there's plenty to satisfy a big appetite. An Ollieburger with a cup of the delectable Ollie Sauce comes to $2.85. Mozzarella cheese, lettuce, a thick slice of tomato, pickles and a slice of onion are extra, although a dessed Ollieburger runs just $3.20.
Purists can get a regular quarter-pound hamburger for $1.50. The half-pound version comes to about $2.50. Chili burgers ($2.45), bacon burgers ($2.75), hotdogs ($1.60), chili dogs ($2), Polish sausages ($1.90) and fried fish sandwiches ($2.45) make up most of the rest of the menu.
The sole side order is well-seasoned, French fries ($1.45). You can have a soft drink or water to drink — and that means tap water for a dime, none of this fancy bottled nonsense! For true Ollie Sauce aficionados, you can buy a cup of the stuff for 50 cents and dip your fries in it.
Ollie's Trolley's fare is for take-out only. Too bad, as sitting inside the tiny ersatz trolley car would be a nice final touch on this trip down memory lane.
- by Ivonne Rovira, Louisville Reporter for HelloMetro
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Ivonne RoviraA graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.
