Eat Athens: This old-school lunch counter has served Five Points for more than 60 years

From the outside, ADD Drug looks like it could be any pharmacy attached to a grocery store, but to take a step through the front door is to be transported to a bygone era. Inside, customers will find a full-service drugstore, post office, gift shop, and a counter that serves breakfast and lunch.

Since 1961, ADD (Athens Discount Drug) has been a kind of one-stop shop for folks in the Five Points area of Athens. Located right next to Earth Fare Supermarket at 1695 S. Lumpkin St., ADD offers a chance to unplug from the modern day hustle and enjoy a milkshake with a neighbor.

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Open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday (until 2 p.m. on Saturdays and closed Sundays), the food counter at ADD Drug serves breakfast and lunch from a small but efficient menu with seating to match. Since there are only about 20 bar stools, customers should plan ahead and expect to spend about 45 minutes for a meal there. The Banner-Herald arrived at noon on a Thursday and stood in line for about 15 minutes waiting on a seat to open up.

Service at ADD Drug is similar to Waffle House, with kitchen and wait staff working interchangeably to take orders, bus the counter, cook the food and serve it to the guests. Space behind the bar is limited as well, with a narrow one-way area in between staff and customers. The old-school design lends itself to the kind of up close and personal experience shown in classic movies and TV shows, and the chatter inside the shop is entertaining on its own.

For breakfast, ADD diners can choose between sandwiches made with various combinations of egg, cheese, bacon and sausage with most items starting at a super-low price of $2 to $4. The most expensive breakfast dish is the $5.25 Larkins Farmhouse sandwich, made with two eggs and a choice of two meats. For lunch, ADD offers a wide selection of sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs and salads.

The Banner-Herald's choice of pimento cheeseburger and fries cost $4.50, and the portions were comparable to what most fast food restaurants offer. At a time when restaurants seem to be trying to out-stack one another with the messiest and most complicated burgers, the pimento cheeseburger at ADD was a winning marriage of flavor and texture. The pimento cheese was melted just right, stayed on the bun and required no additional condiments or toppings.

When people think of a classic soda fountain, they imagine a person with a paper hat who dispenses everything from syrupy seltzers like vanilla and cherry Coke to orangeades and egg creams. Though most of ADD's beverages are poured from bottles and cans, their drink menu does include three types of milkshakes and two ice cream floats, one made with (what else?) IBC Root Beer.

To complete the time travel experience, the Banner-Herald ordered a chocolate malt, made the old fashioned way with a machine-blended combination of malt powder and chocolate ice cream. At $4, the shake was comparable in size to a large frappe coffee but was tastier, colder, and far cheaper.

Part of the magic at the ADD counter was that few people had their phones out, and the shoulder-to-shoulder seating proximity caused strangers to strike up conversations.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: ADD Drug has more than 60 years of lunch counter service