The room at the Ritz-Carlton was spectacular. The filet mignon at Kevin Rathbun Steak? Superb. Yet what truly lured Lynn and Anne Fowler from Decatur, Ala., to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary here was the memory of that first date. You never get over coming back to Grant Field and watching Georgia Tech football, Anne said. And eating hot dogs at The Varsity. The Varsity, which bills itself as the worlds largest drive-in restaurant, has been a beloved institution since 1928 and is as Atlantan as fried apple pie. Thats one of its signature menu items, along with chili dogs and burgers, onion rings and fries, an F.O. (frosted orange shake) and something equally delicious: Nostalgia. We feel like were the keeper of traditions and memories for generations, said Nancy Simms, whose late father, Frank Gordy, founded The Varsity. A Georgia Tech dropout, Gordy hoped other Tech students would drop in and buy good, cheap fast food. That was decades before the towering, bright red V sign was erected in the parking lot. People say, When I come to Atlanta and see that sign, Im home, said Simms, who runs The Varsity and its six other locations with her son, Gordon Muir. And thats people from all over the world. FDR stopped here. Presidents Carter, Bush (41) and Clinton ate here, too. Muhammad Ali. Elvis ordered cheeseburgers to go several times a day. Before the premiere of Gone With The Wind, Clark Gable pulled up for car service from Flossie Mae, the late, legendary singing carhop. Comedian Nipsey Russell was also a Varsity carhop, honing his early material while delivering chili dogs and rings with a smile. Those were back in the heydays when The Varsitys parking lots and curb service resembled something out of American Graffiti. All those guys and girls and cars, and chili dogs, on hot summer nights. When Warren Buffett came to Coca-Cola headquarters, just up North Avenue from the V, Coke executives knew where to take the down-home billionaire for lunch. Buffett loved it. So did Larry, an Atlanta dog whose owner took him in a convertible for a Varsity drive-in lunch each October for Larrys birthday. And on December 1, 1984, when Georgia Tech finally beat Georgia to end a six-year losing streak to the Dogs, Tech students tore down the goal posts at Grant Field. Never mind that the game was played in Athens. The jubilant Techies had their priorities straight: They marched the goal posts to the college presidents home, but only after parading them around The Varsity. Its great. Weve been coming here for years, said Joe Jones, a Mississippi State fan from Athens, Tenn. At 9 a.m. on Sept. 20, Jones and his wife Lisa were having a pre-game meal at The Varsity before States noon kickoff with Georgia Tech. We eat the glorified, Jones said, using Varsity terminology for a hamburger with lettuce, tomato and mayo. This is where fast food started. This is Atlanta. Mississippi State fans were thrilled about the Bulldogs first game at Georgia Tech since 1929. By then, of course, Frank Gordys restaurant had already been in business for a year. Oh, goodness, weve been coming to The Varsity since we moved here from Mississippi in 65, said Charles Henderson, a white-haired man sitting with his wife, Elizabeth. He was enjoying two chili dogs, onion rings and a Coke. She, a Diet Coke to wash down her hamburger and fries. Total cost? $12.91. Lunch at The Varsity? Priceless. A trip back in time. Lets do the numbers: Two miles of chili dogs are served daily at the downtown Varsity, along with 2,000 pounds of onions for rings and 300 gallons of chili, made fresh from scratch every day. Each year, 2,000,000 cups of Coke are served. Asked once about what he did with leftovers, Gordy replied, We dont have any. On football Saturdays, The Varsity serves 20,000 people. A three-block walk from Techs campus and Bobby Dodd Stadium, The Varsity — which accommodates 800 — will be jammed Saturday: Tech hosts Florida State. Clemsons probably the best atmosphere in here, said Matthew Ware, a 2002 Tech graduate who wore a freshman Rat Cap when he played trumpet in the band and honored a Tech frosh tradition of paying at The Varsity in pennies. Just once. I would say Georgias the best atmosphere, but their fans are so rude. You want to beat them so bad, its almost not fun any more, said Ware, ordering a double cheeseburger, rings and…a Coke Zero? Since theyve got it, he said, and youve got to be somewhat healthy. All around Ware, customers were marching in, lining up at the 150-foot-long stainless steel counter and ordering their pre-game meals. Were at our best when were busiest, Simms said, beaming. Weve got our system, everybody loves it, the adrenalines going and its off to the races. That system can essentially be condensed into three words: Whatll ya have?! The title of a 2003 book celebrating The Varsitys 75th anniversary — and how many fast-food joints have had a book written about them? Its also what counterman Erby Walker shouted at each customer: Whatll ya have?! Walker died earlier this year, but his spirit lives on in co-workers like Jaida Danso. We dont have no Varsity in Ghana, she said sweetly in her native African accent, before shouting out Erbys other mantra: Have your money in your hand, your order in your mind! In many ways, The Varsitys now a thoroughly modern milieu. In a maze of television rooms, where customers sit at school desk chairs, theyre watching ESPN or CNN on HD TVs, or using free WiFi. Or drinking Coke Zero. The lingos still old school, though. A red dog? Nah, not a blitzing linebacker. A hot dog with ketchup. As it was long ago, when Lynn Fowler, a Tech man, was courting a Duke coed named Anne. Lynn told me he was taking me to a fine restaurant for dinner, Anne said. When we arrived, I just died. He said, Youre not going to be sorry. You cant get any finer food than a Varsity chili dog! And he was right. I think she was a little skeptical when we first pulled up, Lynn said, laughing. Until she had her first chili dog. I think thats what convinced her. Convinced her that Lynn was the man for Anne. And so they were married, and lived happily — and ate Varsity chili dogs — ever after.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 23:04:02 +0000
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