Going to Minder Binders in the early 1980s, Tempe, Arizona

Let's time-travel back to my days at ASU (Arizona State University) and visit Minder Binders in Tempe, Arizona. I would go there in '81, 82, and for those of you who didn't experience it, it's kinda difficult to explain, but I'll try with the help of a menu that a friend of mine just shared with me that looks to be about that era. And although they have taken some liberties with the setting, yes, the building did look like that, it was in a huge converted old barn. It's been gone for a long time now, but it lives on in fond memories of people like me. Let's take a look at what's on the menu, and even take the time to read some of it.

The first thing that probably catches your eye is the prices, which to our 21st-Century eyes look absolutely ridiculous. A steak, with fries, for $2.41? A bowl of soup for fifty-nine cents? So when I tell you that I very rarely went there, but I just didn't have the money, you may be wondering how poor I was? I did OK, I paid my rent, fed myself, but I really didn't have the discretionary income that some of my friends had, who went to concerts, ate at restaurants, etc., and did it without feeling the financial strain.

When I did go, it was when they had specials on stuff like spaghetti, or during "burger madness". Otherwise I just didn't have the income to spare to spend on this type of luxury. Of course nowadays I give the impression that I did all of the stuff that my wealthier friends did, because this is the era of social media, and I can give that impression. So bear with me here, I'm no expert on Minder Binders, but at least I got to see it in its heyday.

There was always something slightly, uh, suggestive about Minder Binders. Nothing overtly lurid, you could take your maiden aunt there, but it really didn't take much imagination to see the implied sexuality. Here's an example from the menu:

Thunder Humper. And they went to a lot of effort in the descriptions. Here ya go: Our world renowned Burger, Spectacularly improved! We believe that no such gustable has ever been paralleled in perfection. We are careful to flavor this in appropriate strength from recently procured spices and beans. Served to your table in a magnanimous portion designed to stave off intestinal noise for hours if not days. Be sure to give your waist measurements upon order. [note: no calorie count, or even the size of the burger, but it must have been BIG!]

Spaghetti would have been something that I ordered at Minder Binders, being not too terribly expensive. But, like I say, I was a starving student, not one of those kids who would regularly get huge whacking wads of cash from the parents back east, so even eating out like this was a luxury. I was more inclined to buy pasta for 29 cents at the grocery store and feed myself for a week. I also, by the way, never got drunk at Minder Binders, it was just too expensive for me. I'd get a beer and milk it for the whole time I was there. I had a reputation for sobriety because of this. Or maybe people thought that I was just cheap.

Forty-one cents for a single bottle of beer! I'm pretty sure that I could buy a six-pack at the grocery store for that, and would be able to drink as much as I wanted in my little apartment on Wildermuth Road, laughing at the dogs. And yes, I would get Michelob.

My mind boggles at the kids who could afford a dollar for a single drink, and would stay there long enough to get so drunk that the area became a serious hazard due to the drunk driving. It is possible that I paid seventy-one cents to impress my girlfriend once, although I really don't recall.

I could go on and on, and I probably will, but just not in this blog post. I know when to say when! Thank you for going to Minder Binders with me, and let's do this again sometime!

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