CLEAR LAKE — A drive-in restaurant in northern Iowa known for its broasted chicken and homemade root beer has been demolished nearly six decades after opening.
An excavator began tearing down the Barrel Drive-In in Clear Lake on Monday morning. The landmark restaurant had served Clear Lakers and North Iowans since 1958 before closing down last year.
Local community members had rallied to try to save the restaurant, with volunteers painting the outside of the building in 2014 and creating a “Save the Barrel” website. But the business was put up for sale last April and was bought by a neighboring convenience store.