50 Year Old Hollymatic Machine Still Working Like It Did in 1966

There is no breaking with tradition at the Triple XXX Family Restaurant in West Lafayette, IN. Not in their legendary recipes or in their 119 year old root beer or in the way they’ve formed their award-winning burgers on a Hollymatic “Super” 54 Patty Former since 1966. The Triple XXX is an institution in the city that is home to Purdue University. The building’s traditional root beer colored orange and black stripes are iconic. It’s where students and locals rub shoulders in a 48-seat restaurant that has no tables – only counters.

Patrons are welcome to order signature burgers named for football players like Drew Brees, Bernie Flowers, and Duane Purvis – all of which have been featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” with Guy Fieri. It’s a hysterical segment that showcases the restaurant’s unique personality with 2nd generation owners, Greg & Carrie Ehresmen. They purchased the restaurant from Greg’s parents in 1999. Greg’s 84 year old dad, Jack, still works there.

The Hollymatic Former has been “thumping” out 700 to 1,000 patties per day, 7 days a week for Triple XXX.

Just 90 seconds into the “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” video, Greg Ehresmen takes Guy Fieri upstairs to see where the magic happens. It is there that the camera and Fieri lock onto the Hollymatic “Super” 54 Patty Former. For 48 years, this Former has been “thumping” out 700 to 1,000 patties per day, 7 days a week for Triple XXX. They start with 100% Top Choice Sirloin Steak, grind it fresh, and transfer it right into the hopper of the Hollymatic machine where 2 oz. patties are formed.

That thumping sound upstairs is familiar to our regulars but a little startling to newcomers,” says Carrie Ehresmen. “They ask, ‘what is that noise?!’ Because Hollymatic’s Patty Former is a key to our success, we’re proud to promote it. In fact, we are remodeling in order to bring the Hollymatic 54 downstairs, front and center. That way our customers can see what that thumping is all about. That machine is part of our history, our tradition, and our success.” She means it, too. Every employee in the restaurant wears a tee-shirt with the Triple XXX logo on the front and a big old illustration of the Hollymatic “Super” 54 on the back.

Indiana’s oldest drive-in, the Triple XXX website touts the slogan “we were here before your mother was born.” And it’s true. Greg Ehresmen remembers his parents bringing him to the restaurant as he was growing up. He reminisces about stirring root beer in a barrel with a paddle in the basement, making the suds. “I remember working the Hollymatic automatic meat former decades ago,” says Greg. “That machine still works like a charm. We’ve replaced the hopper, put in new bolts and thread taps, and it still works like it did in 1966. It’s unbelievable. And it’s a part of who we are.”

The Triple XXX Family Restaurant has received many accolades throughout the years. In addition to the “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives” TV Show, they participated in the “Super” 46 Sandwich Competition that took place when Indianapolis hosted the 2012 Super Bowl. After entering their infamous peanut butter topped Duane Purvis all-American Cheeseburger, people voted them into the Sweet 16 bracket, then into the Elite 8, and ultimately into the Final 4. They were also named 1 of 51 “Great Burger Joints” across the USA.