Blue Circle neon sign - Livingston, TN

Blue Circle Hamburgers was a chain of fast food restaurants that was popular in East Tennessee a few decades ago. However, today only one location remains open. In my travels through East Tennessee, I have seen signs of some of the former locations repurposed for a new business. This is the only one I had seen in Middle Tennessee. I didn't realise they made it this far west. (Or maybe someone just liked the sign and brought it here.)

Vintage Taco Bell sign - Savannah, GA

Today, we are venturing far away from Middle Tennessee. This is a vintage Taco Bell sign which has been preserved near its original location in Savannah, GA.

To better understand this logo, the maroon section in the middle is the middle of a boy. The boy is wearing a large sombrero with the word TACO on it, plus a large dark green and maroon serape, and sitting on the bell. (Most of the boy would be covered up.)

Based on discussions I've seen, there are very few of these signs left in existence. Perhaps this is the only one left, at least at it's original store. This Taco bell is near the intersection of US80 and Skidaway Rd. in Savannah. The sign itself is actually a little further back from the road and is located between a Wendy's and an Arby's.

The Big Chicken seen from the road

Johnny Reb's was a restaurant in Marietta, GA on highway US41 that decided to stand out from the other places in town, by erecting a 56 foot tall sheet metal chicken in 1956. The top of the chicken is mechanical as the beak opens and closes while the eye spins in circles. A few years after it was built, the restaurant was sold and became a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. Over time, the structure started to fall into disrepair and a tornado damaged it in 1993. There was talk that it might be torn down, or moved to a business in Smyrna, GA. However, the townsfolk rallied to save the local landmark. Today, the chicken and the KFC franchise still thrive, and you can even purchase a couple of souvenirs inside.

Slawburger '19 Rock - Fayetteville, TN

Starting in 2015, the third Saturday in April brings the yearly Slawburger Festival to the Fayetteville, TN town square. (With Covid, I'm not sure if it's on this year.) A Slawburger is a hamburger where the patty is topped by a mustard-based cole slaw. This Slawburger is only prepared by a few local restaurants like Honey's Restaurant, Ken's Fast Foods and Bill's Cafe. This big rock is in front of Lincoln County High School along highway US231/431. The painted slawburger must not be permanent as there is something else painted here on Google street view.

The Colonel's Mandolin Band LP

Favorite Old Church Hymns recorded by The Colonel's Mandolin Band for the glorification of Christ.

This vintage record album was seen at the mini-museum inside of the first KFC, otherwise known as Sanders Cafe, in Corbin, KY. Personally, I prefer the beauty of the human voice, but I bet I would find this album quite interesting. More than anything, just seeing this reminds me how the times have changed. Today, is there any well-known fast food chain other than Chik-Fil-A that would attempt such a recording?

WMAC, a McDonalds Radio Station

Located on Music Valley Drive in the touristy Opryland Area of Nashville is WMAC - a McDonalds with a radio station on the inside. The antenna you see is the actual broadcast antenna, and there is radio broadcasting equipment inside, too. I believe this was setup in the early 90's. After several years, the low wattage broadcast equipment broke, and since the novelty wore off, they kept the look but didn't fix the broadcasting.

Parkette Drive In - Lexington, KY

This fast food drive-in Restaurant with the fabulous sign is located in Lexington, KY. The restaurant and the sign both apparently date back to 1951. It's located on New Circle Rd. (US25/421), which goes to show how old the New Circle Rd. is.

The arrows and the row of cars along the top are chaser lights. Perhaps the most popular feature of the sign is the neon carhop. Some of the lights have burned out, but the car hop is supposed to be holding a neon tray of food.

When you pull up to a parking space, you order by talking into an old fashioned metal speaker, which also probably dates back to the 50's. People wax nostalgic about the good old days, but i'm glad speaker and microphone technology has improved in the last half century. Still I was able to order the Big Lex Burger and Funnel Cake Fries, which were both quite enjoyable.

Burger Free Zone - Chik-Fil-A Water Tower

The Fast Food chain Chik-Fil-A is very popular in and around Atlanta, where they got their start. In addition to numerous eye-catching billboards with 3d cows is this advertising water tower seen along the I-75/I-85 Corridor.

Frisch's Big Boy Statue

Depending on where you live in the country, you either see a Big Boy all the time (which will make what I say sound ridiculous), or you never see one. As a Tennessean, I'm in the latter category.

I thought about using this space to tell the Big Boy Franchisee story, but I decided it's way too convoluted. Instead, if you're really interested see the Wikipedia article.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boy_(restaurant)

Unlike McDonalds where every McDonalds is a McDonalds. There were different Big Boys depending on where you lived in the country. In Tennessee, there was Shoney's Big Boy up until I was 7. Then, the Big Boy statue was taken away, and the restaurant became just Shoney's. That was about three decades ago.

Each Big Boy locale has a Big Boy statue out front. Also, each Big Boy statue is holding a Big Boy hamburger, which is the flagship menu item. (As a point of reference the McDonald's Big Mac was created as direct competition.)

On the weekend I traveled to Lexington, KY, I made it a point to stop at a Big Boy since I hadn't eaten at one in nearly three decades. From the To Go menu, I wanted to order one of everything to make up for lost time. Since that was impractical, instead I went for the Big Boy burger and the Swiss Miss. (In retrospect, perhaps I should have gotten the Brawny Lad just because.)

Chicken Chef sign - McMinnville, TN

I first learned about Chicken Chef right before my first visit to McMinnville several years ago, but I didn't have a chance to stop there and check it out. From what I could tell, the place was so popular that more locations opened up, but the original spot was the only one popular enough to remain open.

Reviewing restaurants isn't my thing, and I'm not much of a fried chicken eater either. Yet, when I'm on the road, I look for where the locals eat, and not the chains that I can find anywhere. It's a short order place, was filling, inexpensive, and they took a personal check, so all was fine with me.

I really like the Chicken Chef logo, with the chicken as a chef, with it's chef hat, apron, skillet and tongs. ...so good it's habit forming. (who remembers the SNL commercial for the Cluckin' chicken?)

The Colonel's Weather Vane

Perhaps I should have titled this "You're So Vain You've Made Yourself into a Vane"

This is one of the many wonderful things on display inside of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken museum and Restaurant in Corbin, KY.

Pal's Sudden Service (Part 3) Big Pal's Man

As discussed in the previous two posts, Pal's is a small but popular fast food chain found in and around far east Tennessee. If you've never seen one before, their standard design buildings are quite eye-catching with a giant hamburger, hot dog, fries and soda on the building. The chain started with humble beginnings with their first store remaining unchanged since 1956.

It was with the opening of their second store on the north side of Kingsport (Lynn Garden area) when they started to have an attention-grabbing building four years after they opened. Here we have a Muffler Man, but instead of holding any car parts, the Big Pal's Man is holding a giant hamburger. As of 2012, he's been there for 50 years!

Pal's Sudden Service (Part 2)

Pal's is a fast food chain in and around northeast, TN. They are best known for their large burger, hot dog, drink and fries on the building, which is seen on most of their locations and was in yesterday's post and can be seen here.

The first ever Pal's restaurant opened in Kingsport, TN in 1956, where it remains virtually unchanged for many years. (However, for many years there used to be a large 19¢, which was the price of the Big Pal Burger for many years.)

This is located in the heart of Kingsport, just a couple of blocks from the central business district.

Pal's Sudden Service (Part 1)

Pal's is a small chain of fast food restaurants in far East Tennessee. They are very popular with the locals and after having a chance to eat there a couple of times, I can see why. I really liked their burgers and their milkshakes are about the best I've had at any fast food place. (I tried the chili dog and thought it was ok, and I wasn't really impressed with the fries.

Obviously, the first thing you notice s the building with the large "big pal" Burger coming out the front, with a giant hot dog, beverage cup and frenchie fries on top. All of their approx. 20 locations outside of the first two stores have this general design.

I was also impressed by the sudden service, as the name implied. You drive up to a window on the right side and speak to a person (not a speaker) to order, then drive to the other side where it's already waiting for you.

For someone like me who can't get In-n-Out Burger in this side of the country, this makes for a nice alternative.

KFC signs: Old and New - Corbin, KY

KFC started as Harlan Sanders Cafe in Corbin, Ky. He owned a motel and a restaurant along highway US25. When the interstate was built, fewer people drove past the place, and it almost went out of business until he passed the fried chicken recipe to a franchise. Now, the 11 herbs and spices are eaten everywhere.

In the foreground is the original Sanders Cafe sign which sticks out of the entrance. In the background is the really tall 1980's bucket sign that you can see from the interstate. Of course, these days the powers that be market the fast food chain in most places as KFC and not Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Old Fashioned McDonald's Speedee Logo

There's a McDonalds along Kingston Pike in Knoxville, TN which was made to look like a retro design (I assume it hasn't remained unchanged for 50 years.) Speedee was eventually replaced by Ronald McDonald in 1967.