While retaining much of its original roots, The Dairy offers the traditional and the unique.

By Mary O’KEEFE

There is no denying Californians have a simpatico relationship with their automobiles. Even though the pandemic may have allowed some to park their cars a little longer than usual on public streets, anyone who has been on the roads recently can see that traffic is moving slower – which is normal.

The idea of Californians staying in their vehicles to grab something to eat dates back to the early 1920s but really boomed in 1948 when In-N-Out opened. Not surprising, the idea of staying in the comfort of the car and not having to find a parking spot then ordering and getting the food you wanted was appealing to drivers.

Then the drive-thru experience expanded with the addition of the Alta Dena Dairy drive-thru markets. The first Alta Dena drive-thru opened in the early 1950s and throughout Southern California these markets began to spring up in neighborhoods.

For those living in La Cañada Flintridge and Crescenta Valley the Alta Dena drive thru, and later the Alta Dena Express, at the corner of Ocean View and Foothill boulevards had been part of the landscape for decades. Then, a little over three years ago, the doors closed. It had been a place to stop and get the most basic of items – milk, bread, cigarettes and beer and, like many things, was not missed until it was gone.

Then about two years ago, a couple of La Cañada High School graduates decided to purchase the market, give it a new name – The Dairy – and stock it with items that went far beyond basic.

“Both of us grew up in La Cañada,” said Travis Emi, one of the owners of The Dairy.

“We were familiar with the area, we had [worked together] in craft beer bars,” said Kyle Bilowitz, another owner.

Bilowitz is an owner of the Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park. Emi and Bilowitz knew the area, knew that Ocean View and Foothill was a busy intersection and, more importantly, knew the community.

“We thought it would be great if you were going to a dinner party and you wanted to get a little basket to-go of wine and cheese,” Bilowitz added.

They also knew that Memorial Park Sunday summer evening concerts attracted a lot of people and thought it would be a good idea to create a grab-and-go basket for people to take to the event, Emi added.

“We wanted to do something that was different from what has been done in the past here [at the drive thru]. I know there have been a few owners and it’s been the same kind of [items] for a long time,” Bilowitz said.

They have hit a few bumps in the road, like obtaining a liquor license. Apparently the former owner of the market had canceled the liquor license, which meant they, as new owners, had to apply for a new permit. In normal times getting a liquor license takes time but then the pandemic hit and everything moved at a slower pace. They’re moving forward, continuing to work with the city, the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and the state agency Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to get a license. Their plan is to use their knowledge of wine and craft beers to add options that are not standard drive-thru market items. They have already added specialized food products to their offerings, like freshly made sandwiches and fresh fruit.

Pat Anderson, president and CEO of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce, has worked with Emi and Bilowitz since they started their business.

“I think it is great,” she said of “hometown” people opening in La Cañada Flintridge. “We have others who are hometown [people] who own businesses in La Cañada Flintridge. It speaks to the quality of our community and also speaks to the character of the business environment we are in.”

The LCF Chamber of Commerce assigns “ambassadors” to each business and one has been working with The Dairy.

COVID-19 restrictions provided another opportunity for The Dairy to meet the demand of shoppers looking for options to purchase goods. The Dairy was literally in the right place at the right time.

The Dairy had already established a strong customer base and with the arrival of the pandemic, new customers began to pull in. Emi and Bilowitz scrambled to get the supplies that were needed, from masks to flour.

“With the [pandemic] shopping was so limited,” Emi said.

He added that people who would normally not shop at a drive-thru began to explore the market. Customers soon began to request items and the owners did everything they could to fill those requests while still offering new items.

“Throughout this entire time we have tried to do our best for the community,” Emi said. “At the peak [of the pandemic] I was driving 118 miles a day to different locations to wholesale sellers.”

Many of their clients are elderly and would request specific items that were difficult to find or they were not comfortable searching online for those items. Emi said they would take those requests and find the items for their customers.

At its foundation the owners wanted their business to involve the community, not just its customers but sellers, too. Emi said almost every day new small businesses approach them with items to stock. For example, The Dairy sells fresh sandwiches, which are made by the owner of a small business who grew up in La Crescenta and now lives in Sunland. Their coffee supplier is also a small business owner who brings freshly roasted coffee to The Dairy.

They know the value of maintaining relationships with the many people who build a small business, from customers to suppliers to employees and City offices.

“We are giving [The Dairy] a personal touch,” Emi added.

Their plans for the business continue to expand and include putting up new signage and adding their own spin to the exterior of the building with a menu that includes not only the basics that people expect but specialty foods. The owners also want to expand its community of vendors and offer fun events, like Friday night food trucks. They would also like to add a type of Farmers’ Market, Bilowitz said.

“Where you could come in and pick up your urban farm basket of the week,” he added.

Though many drive-thru markets have either been neglected or turned into another business altogether, the owners of The Dairy are balancing the old traditions with the new and know that community matters including supporting small businesses like themselves.