12/51 The Varsity.
Frank Gordy opened the Varsity as “The Yellow Jacket” in 1928, catering to students of nearby Georgia Tech.
Eighty-eight years later, the Varsity claims to be the “world’s largest drive-in” and is a must-do for locals, tourists, and visiting dignitaries. Everyone is still greeted with the Varsity’s signature welcome, “What’ll ya have?” and on game days the restaurant serves over 30,000 people.
Over the years, the drive-in’s “curb men” have become part of the Varsity experience. The most famous was Flossie Mae who sang the menu to customers for fifty years. Television and movie star Nipsy Russell got his start at the Varsity as car hop #46.
The ordering lingo for this Atlanta icon is another part of its charm:
Naked dog walking – plain hot dog on a bun
F.O. – frosted orange
P.C. – plain chocolate milk always served with ice
Glorified steak – hamburger with mayo, lettuce, and tomato
But the Varsity is perhaps best known for its chili dogs and onion rings.
Many people do not pass through Atlanta without stopping for a chili dog and Varsity Orange drink.
Combo Meal #1 on a Varsity car hop tray, 2016.
Object:
Atlanta History Center
Image:
Courtesy of Lane Brothers Photographs, Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University, Atlanta
Next: 13 Hip-hop.
In 2009, an article in the New York Times referred to Atlanta as “hip-hop’s center of gravity.” Although Atlanta’s music scene is diverse, it is perhaps the city’s hip-hop scene that has garnered the most national attention and commercial success.