Health Camp Super Burgers Since 1949 by Jann Alexander © 2013
Call it Road Kill, because the large milkshakes at Health Camp really could kill you, if you’re on the road from Austin, Texas to Dallas on I-35.
A stop at Health Camp is a long tradition (since 1949) if you’re time-traveling along the central Texas interstate and find yourself nearing the Waco circle, as many do regularly enough to choke a Longhorn. Super Burgers are what’s prominently advertised at Health Camp, but those in the know order a chocolate-peanut butter milkshake (or one of more than a dozen other hand-crafted shakes) to slurp, with great effort, through straws all the way from Waco to Waxahatchie. You can wait outside at the walk-up windows, or wait inside and try to score one of very few tables, but either way, you’re going to wait, and you’re going to be glad you did.
How did Health Camp get such an undeserving name? Its menu features the Super Health Burger (double meat and double cheese, special sauce, lettuce and tomato—sound like a Big Mac?) and its most popular burger comes with Tater Tots (Tater Tots? When was the last time you could order Tater Tots? And why would you?).
I’m speculating here, of course, but I can imagine a time when the menu seemed healthy. Specifically, in 1948, when young Jack Schaevitz built a mobile canteen and served ice cream and burgers to military personnel at Connally Air Force Base in Waco, just three years after World War II ended. These were soldiers who saluted to the almighty American hamburger and fries every chance they got.
Health Camp calls itself “a pioneer in the early fast food industry.” If only today’s fast food tasted this good. Especially the shakes. ♣
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Tater Tots x Nachos = Totchos (seriouseats.com)
Roadfood of the Day (Roadfood.com)
Health Camp (Health-camp-Waco.com)
SHOP for 99+ prints, from $45, in the Vanishing Austin photo series by Jann Alexander and the Endangered Species of Austin poster, $25, at VanishingAustin.com.
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