On Location: Don's Lunch

Amid the growing pond of yuppified fast food--excuse me, quick-service--shops (or are they shoppes?) in Westbrook, Don's Lunch remains the place for a blue-collar burger. Indeed, since McDonald's on Main Street renovated last year to adopt the textures and sensibilities of a sleek romantic comedy, Don's Lunch is the only burger joint in town whose DVD case if it were a movie would boast leafy awards from obscure film festivals and be emblazened with such praise as "Gritty!"

So while McDonald's now pushes its fancy rabbit food covered with (sniff) Newman's Own salad dressing, Don's Lunch simply boasts it is the "Home of the Big One." You know, the juicy, fully-loaded, condiments-are-dripping-all-over-your-chin "Big One."

Of course, the fact that the "Big One" is actually not much larger than a regular cheeseburger at Mickey D's further speaks to the quaintness of the burger mobile.

- John C.L. Morgan

P.S. My wife once humorously said Don's Lunch's slogan should be "Don's Lunch: Where every day is the Fryeburg Fair." I'd tweak that a bit, though: "Don's Lunch: Where every day is Westbrook Together Days."