75 Years In Joliet: 10 Photos Of ACE Drive-In Opening Day

JOLIET, IL — For the first time this year, the parking was full at 1207 Plainfield Road as Joliet's ACE Drive-In opened for its 75th year of business. Over the lunch hour, the kitchen was busy as third-year owner Mitch Pierson and the staff worked to keep up with all the food orders on their first day of business for 2024.

"It will probably be busy as long as it's nice outside," remarked Pierson, indicating Thursday's forecast calls for rain.

ACE is now open seven days a week until closing during the fall, either in September or October. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Remember, ACE only accepts cash. There are ATMs at some of the nearby businesses along Plainfield Road, according to the owner.

In June, July and August, ACE will host its classic car shows on Thursday evenings, a summer tradition that has spanned several years.

During Monday's first day of being open in 2024, customers were ordering plenty of hoagies, sliced beef on a bun, sliced beef poor boys, cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers and more. ACE features a triple cheeseburger, a double steak burger, a triple steak burger, plus there's the chili burger, double chili burger or, in the alternative, you can order a bowl of chili.

And practically everyone who patronizes ACE orders their root beer.

You can order ACE root beer in small, large or a 32 ounce quart. ACE root beer and lemonade is also sold in half gallon containers or by the gallon.

ACE has been open in Joliet since 1949.