Krystal (restaurant) 765449 224859977 2008-07-10T19:03:13Z 205.223.124.104 /* History */ Changed it back to read "second oldest" I'm not sure why it was changed to "seventh or eighth" it's the second according to the company website (I'd ref it, but the site is in Flash) {{refimprove|date=September 2007}} {{Infobox Company | name = Krystal | company_logo = | foundation = 1932 | company_type = Private | location = [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]] | key_people = [[Rody Davenport, Jr.]], [[J. Glenn Sherrill]], Founders | industry = [[Food]] | products = [[Fast food]], including [[hamburger]]s, [[french fries]], [[milkshake|dairy dessert]]s, and signature [[breakfast]] offerings. | homepage = [http://www.krystal.com www.krystal.com] }} '''Krystal''' is a [[hamburger]] restaurant chain in the [[Southeastern United States]]. It is known for small, square [[hamburgers]], and unique breakfast food like the "Scrambler," a mixture of [[Egg (food)|egg]]s, [[sausage]] and other items such as [[pancake]]s or [[grits]]. == History == [[Image:Krystal.jpg|thumb|right|A Krystal restaurant in [[Calhoun, Georgia]].]] Founded [[October 24]], [[1932]], in Chattanooga, in the first years of the [[Great Depression]], [[entrepreneur]] [[Rody Davenport Jr.]] and partner [[J. Glenn Sherrill]] theorized that even in a severe economic upheaval, "People would patronize a restaurant that was kept spotlessly clean, where they could get a good meal with courteous service at the lowest possible price." Krystal is the second-oldest hamburger chain in the United States (the oldest being [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]])<ref name="SBS">{{cite book |last= Hogan |first=David Gerard |title=Selling 'em by the Sack: White Castle and the Creation of American Food |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=PT6s4ZbznHMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=Samuel+V.+Blair+Kewpee&source=web&ots=baIRvwIuqL&sig=6nt64erA2i8yJbdBYalUm8D0cVs&hl=en |format= |accessdate=2008-06-04 |accessyear=2006 |accessmonth=06 |edition= 1st |series= |volume= |date= |year= 1997 |month= |publisher= NYU Press |location= |language= |isbn=0814735673 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 50 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= }}</ref> and the oldest in the [[Southern United States|South]]. Davenport and Sherrill set up the first Krystal at the corner of Seventh and Cherry streets in Chattanooga. While the building still stands, the original Krystal restaurant is no longer in operation. The oldest Krystal still in operation is located on Cherokee Boulevard in Chattanooga's Northshore District. ==Business== [[Image:Krystal-vs-whitecastle-locations-map.svg|thumb|right|Map showing the states with locations of Krystal Restaurants (in red) along with states with locations of White Castles (in blue). States with both Krystals and White Castles are colored in green. Note that at the time this map was made, there was one Krystal in Burlington, North Carolina. It has since closed.]] Krystal restaurants, both company-owned and franchised, operate in [[Alabama]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Kentucky]], [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], [[South Carolina]], [[Tennessee]], and [[Texas]]. There is also a single Krystal in [[Bristol, Virginia|Bristol]], [[Virginia]] (which lies on the Tennessee-Virginia border), and two in [[Arkansas]], one in [[West Memphis, Arkansas|West Memphis]] (directly across the [[Mississippi River]] from [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]), and one on the other side of the state in [[Springdale, Arkansas|Springdale]] (which is in the [[Fayetteville, Arkansas]] metropolitan area). Krystal is often compared to a similar Midwest restaurant chain [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]], but other than Nashville and several Kentucky markets, the two restaurants seem to have drawn their own [[Mason-Dixon line]] when it comes to competition. Krystal still maintains corporate headquarters in Chattanooga, and has been owned by [[Port Royal Holdings]], Inc. since 1997. In the late-1990s, Krystal emerged from a bankruptcy petition and sale of assets that placed majority ownership outside the heirs of the founding families. Krystal's period of structural change and uncertainty in the late-1990s has led to a successfully re-born restaurant chain with high levels of reported customer satisfaction and an evolving menu. Krystal's product line centers on a small, square hamburger called, simply enough, a "Krystal". Small hot dogs, named "pups" now also anchor the menu. The restaurant has since expanded its menu to include the "B.A. Burger," a full-size hamburger made of 100% [[black Angus]] meat. Krystal is known for a diverse breakfast menu, and now offers a limited but popular selection of chicken and salad items. Krystal continues to focus on its core menu products, but continues to redesign and upgrade its stores to appeal to a mobile and multi-tasking audience. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the chain served much of their food not in to-go containers but on inexpensive china labelled "Krystal." The waiters and waitresses wore white uniforms, and food was offered on a counter. Cake doughnuts were served as a breakfast and dessert item. From about 1970 until 1986, [[fried chicken]], [[coleslaw]], [[potato salad]], and rolls were offered. These items were usually sold from a small addition to the back of the hamburger restaurants. The chicken was introduced around the same time that singers Minnie Pearl and Mahalia Jackson entered the fried chicken business. Krystal is one of the growing number of fast food restaurant chains offering free wireless internet access to customers with [[Wi-Fi]] compatible devices. Known as "The Krystal HotSpot", the service is nearly universally available at Krystal locations offering inside seating. The chain is also testing a prototype for a drive-in that features individual television monitors for ordering and watching television (audio is accessed via car stereo), and indoor and outdoor seating areas with multiple big-screen television monitors and free digital jukeboxes.<ref>http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/business-toplocal.aspx?articleid=15249&zoneid=169</ref> Krystals remain enormously popular in the South, especially in its East Tennessee "backyard". Fans are known to drive great distances to "get a Krystal" or pine for them when they're out of reach.<ref>[http://www.explorernews.com/article/show/18713 EXPLORER News - News - Widow's message ends Croatian saga<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Long time fans can show new patrons how to combine the boxes that Krystals come in to make Krystal houses. Krystal is a perennial favorite with college students, due to most (but not all) Krystal restaurants being open [[24/7]], making them a popular destination during late-night study sessions or while returning home from a party. Frozen Krystal hamburgers are also available in supermarkets. As of July 2006, Krystal has confirmed that they are expanding the chain into other Southern and Mid-Western states such as [[West Virginia]] and [[Missouri]], respectively. The company also said they are expanding further into [[Virginia]] and [[Kentucky]].<ref>[http://www.qsrmagazine.com/issue/interview/philipsanford.phtml QSR Magazine | The QSR Interview | Philip Sanford<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> == Competitive eating == Krystal restaurants are the host of the [[Krystal Square Off]], a [[competitive eating]] contest. The current World Record is 103 Krystal burgers in 8 minutes by [[Joey Chestnut]], set on [[October 28]], 2007 {{fact|date=December 2007}} == Popular culture == Singer [[Crystal Gayle]] was reportedly named after the hamburger chain, although the names were spelled differently. {{fact|date=December 2007}} However, [http://www.crystalgayle.com/about.htm Gayle's official site] indicates that the name was suggested by her older sister, [[Loretta Lynn]]. The leading character in [[Jimmy Buffett]]'s "Great Filling Station Hold Up" took refuge at a Krystal before being arrested and sentenced to prison. One of the restaurants was featured in a deleted scene in ''[[Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan]]'' (2006). Borat tries his best to be a conscientious employee but as always, manages to offend customers and employees alike. [[John Anderson (musician)|John Anderson]]'s song "Money in the Bank" contains the line, "Gonna take you to the Krystal and a picture show." ==Notes and references== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.krystal.com Krystal website] *[http://www.krystalsquareoff.com Krystal Square-Off website] *[http://www.krystalloverslive.com Krystal Lovers Live website] *[http://foods.aixx.com/misc/foods/Krystals_Hamburgers.html How To Make Krystals Hamburgers At Home] *[http://www.thebigredcouch.com Krystal's "The Big Red Couch" (beta) Video website] *[http://www.krystalchikcalendar.com Krystal Chik Calendar website] *[http://www.krystalist.com Krystal Fast Food Blog] [[Category:1932 establishments]] [[Category:Fast-food chains of the United States]] [[Category:Fast-food franchises]] [[Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States]] [[Category:Fast-food hamburger restaurants]] [[Category:Regional restaurant chains]] [[Category:Companies based in Chattanooga, Tennessee]] [[de:Krystal (Restaurantkette)]] [[es:Krystal (restaurante)]]