Guynes wasn’t alone in remembering Trail Dust fondly. His post on the Memories of Mesquite page was shared more than 3,000 times on Facebook and elicited comments from dozens who made memories at various locations of the small chain — from a woman whose first job was working as the “slide monitor” to members of various Mesquite high school bands who went there before or after competitions or parades.
One commenter even said she broke her leg on the slide in 1986.
Yet, the sliding went on. Guynes said he would wear his finest windsuit to get the maximum possible velocity on the restaurant’s trademark slide, which media reports at the time claimed was 30 feet long.
"If you were about the correct height and weight and had the right material, you could slide down probably about 30 miles an hour and go clean across the dance floor. You’ll hear people tell stories of making it clear across the dance floor and even hitting tables or going underneath because you got so much speed.“This wasn’t something that was made with safety in mind.”
While some commenters remember going to Trail Dust after church every Sunday or as part of their Saturday night rituals, Guynes said his family went only once in a while, heightening the excitement.
“I don’t know if we’ve changed culturally or I changed professionally or what, but growing up, going out to eat was a special occasion,” he said. “Maybe now we eat out a lot more or do takeout and delivery a lot more.
"We would definitely go for like a birthday or some sort of celebration or an occasion.”