The Tennessee chain where you buy burgers by the sackful has had a devoted following since the ' 30 . Even the King himself — Elvis Presley — couldn’t stand firm the tiny straight treats .
1. THE “KRYSTAL KREED” HAS ALWAYS MEANT QUICK, CLEAN, CHEAP SERVICE.
Pengrin , Flickr//CC BY - NC 2.0
Rody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill founded Krystal in Chattanooga , Tenn. , in 1932 , right in the center of the Great Depression . Their plan for a recession - proof eating house followed four tenets :
Because their small beefburger ( also called “ Krystals ” ) have always been price to move , the company has had fairly unshakable succeeder for over 80 years .
2. THEY SAW THE NAME IN A CRYSTAL BALL.
Ted Rheingold , Flickr//CC BY - NC 2.0
Metaphorically utter , at least . It’scompany legendthat Davenport and his wife were driving " down a mountain road " when Mrs. Davenport see a lechatelierite testis lawn ornament . Remembering that cleanliness was cardinal to the new eating house ’s origination , she paint a picture that her husband " should name the eating place Crystal for ‘ clean as a crystal , ’ with a ‘ K ’ to add a trivial construction . ” next eatery were adorned with silvern crystal clump ornaments on their side in honour of this chance chance .
3. THE FIRST-EVER KRYSTAL RESTAURANT WAS A PREFAB JOB.
When it total to lodging the new form of warm , clear eatery , its father want Krystal ’s outside to mirror its insides . They ordered amostly preassemble 25 ’ by 10’building with stainless steel interior and a white porcelain enamel exterior from Chicago and had it sent to Chattanooga .
4. IT WAS INSPIRED BY THE OLDEST U.S. BURGER CHAIN OF ALL.
If you ’re a tiny Warren Earl Burger rooter , you may have noticed that the hour , almost - fit - in - your - oral fissure beefburger with hearty cake sold by Krystal are a great deal like the signature burgers you ’ll find atWhite Castle . That ’s no accident . Davenport and Sherrill , both of whom were experienced businessmen , had visited White Castle restaurants and been impressed with their efficiency . So , after inquiring about the behind - the - scene mannikin and routine , the two decided to judge out the premise for themselves .
5. THE COMPANY’S DONE PLENTY OF ITS OWN PIONEERING, THOUGH.
Krystal might have started out with a take up formula for a successful restaurant , but they come up with other ways to stand out . Krystal ’s Breakfast Scramblers line , for deterrent example , take traditional Southern plate breakfasts like grit with testis and sausage balloon , and " stacks them smartly in bowls " for a meal - to - go that is n’t a tired old breakfast burrito . And , after set in motion Krystal HotSpot in 2003 , the caller also reportedly held the first - place spot among firm - intellectual nourishment chemical chain across the land for the most spare WiFi in 2005 .
6. ELVIS PRESLEY AND DEWEY PHILLIPS WERE BIG-TIME FANS
Getty Images
Hardcore Elvis Presley fans might hump that it was notable DJ “ Daddy - O ” Dewey Phillips who first gave the future King tuner air time in 1954 . They might not live , however , that both Presley and Phillips were tremendous fans of buying Krystal Warren Burger en masse after hanging out at the studio from which Phillips ’ “ Red , Hot and dark ” show was circularise .
The DJ ’s widow Dot Phillipsrecalledthat it “ was n’t anything for Dewey to call at twelve midnight and say that there was a bunch coming out to the house , " but that he did n’t expect his wife to feed the whole gang ; rather , he and Presley would order a hundred or so burgers from the Krystal restaurant downtown for pickup arm after the broadcast , and “ maybe an hour later [ the two serviceman and ] the crowd would arrive . They ’d do walking in the front door both of ‘em carrying just hammock full of those durn things . "
7. “KRYSTAL BOB” WASN’T A HIT, BUT HIS DOG WAS.
As far as advertising campaign go , Krystal ’s bodiless head named Bob was definitely an odd one . Krystal official themselves observe that they fetch parental complaints that the advertizement were scaring some child , andAdvertising Agewrote that the campaignwas " very bizarre and … marginally sickening . " The mostly unpopular mascot got the fleet boot after just three year . " While Bob was extremely effective in build awareness and sales event , we wanted to enhance the Krystal conception by focalize on our master decimal point of interest — unique , great - tasting food that people lust , " Krystal VP of marketing Tom Whitley told theAssociated Pressin 1994 .
After yield customers the option to take home detached " Boot Bob " or " Keep Bob " bumper stickers in society to estimate Bob ’s popularity , the company found that 70 % of patrons " were in favor of booting Bob , " and despite the fact that most customer did want the company to keep Bob ’s dog George around , " it was an all or nothing deal , " Whitley pronounce .
8. A COUNTRY SINGER TOOK HER PSEUDONYM FROM THE RESTAURANT.
The account goesthat country / crossover singer Crystal Gayle , contain Brenda Gail Webb , free-base her stage name on Krystal . purportedly , her baby — country whiz Loretta Lynn — suggested the first name Crystalbecause of the burger chain , and Brenda , who grind the idea , rounded out the new moniker by making a version of her own midway name into her surname . It served her well — Crystal won a Grammy and was named the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in both 1977 and ' 78 .
9. PRO EATER JOEY CHESTNUT HOLDS THE KRYSTAL SQUARE OFF TITLE.
Wikimedia Commons//CC BY - SA 2.0
For six years , Krystal hosted the World Hamburger Eating Championship with its Krystal Square Off , and in 2007,Joey Chestnut — ofNathan ’s Hot Dogchampionship fame — push down an impressive 103 Krystal burgers in eight minutes . Even if they ’re piddling , that ’s a set of sackfuls .
