Red Robin

Name: Red Robin

Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Fact: Red Robin has an extraordinary approach to Guest service known as Unbridled Acts. There are thousands of stories of Red Robin Team Members who have performed Unbridled Acts (also known as random acts of kindness) which they bestow upon restaurant Guests and other Team Members. You can read them here.

History: Red Robin started as a tavern in 1940 at the corner of Furhman and Eastlake Avenues E. in Seattle, at the southern end of the University Bridge. It was called Sam’s Tavern. Sam sang in a barber shop quartet and loved to sing the song “When the red robin goes bob bob bobbin along…” Sam eventually changed the name of his tavern to Sam’s Red Robin. Over the years Sam’s Red Robin simply became Red Robin. In 1969, it was transformed from the tavern into the first Red Robin restaurant that opened in a 1,200 square-foot building perched on a Seattle hilltop. In 1973  Red Robin expands the menu from jumbo beers, cellophane-wrapped sandwiches and popcorn to include Red Robin’s most popular burgers – the Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger, the Red Robin Bacon Cheeseburger and the Royal Red Robin Burger™, which is crowned with fresh fried egg. In 1980, Red Robin expands beyond Washington by opening a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. As of November 2008, there are over 400 locations across the United States and 18 in Canada.

Website: www.redrobin.com/

View the menu: here

Find your local Red Robin: here

Specials: -Newsletter - Gift Card – Coupons

Krystal

Name: Krystal

Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Fact: Krystal is often described as the Southern equivalent of the older Midwest American hamburger chain White Castle. Also, every year, Krystal announces inductees to the Krystal Lovers Hall Of Fame. The inductees are chosen from e-mails and letters received by The Krystal Company and represent the dedicated and diehard customers who have helped make Krystal a cultural icon. To commemorate the win, Krystal will feature each inductee on his or her very own Famous Krystal Hamburger box or Cheese Krystal box, for a limited time. Along with their likeness on the the box  it include a quote from the inductee that describes his or her passion for Krystal. They will also be officially honored with a special plaque during an induction ceremony to be held at the inductee’s favorite Krystal restaurant and celebrated at the Krystal website.

History: Krystal is the seventh or eighth-oldest hamburger chain in the United States (the oldest being White Castle) and the oldest in the South. The first Krystal restaurant opened in 1932 on the corner of Seventh and Cherry Streets in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., amid harsh financial times of the Great Depression. But founders Rody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill knew that even in these hard times, 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.

Designed by Chattanooga architect Gordon Smith, the first Krystal restaurant measured 10 feet by 25 feet and was constructed in what, at the time, was a revolutionary and expensive method of building. Made of gleaming white porcelain and stainless steel, the building was prefabricated in a metal shop in Chicago and assembled on site in Chattanooga.

The restaurant was an overnight success. Customers flocked to the small building with the spotless chrome and tile fittings to perch upon the six stools, savor hot-off-the-grill Krystals and sip freshly brewed coffee from thick china mugs. Those not lucky enough to snag a stool would order sacks full of Krystals to take with them, making Krystal a pioneer in the business of food “to go.” Based on the success of their first location, Davenport and Sherrill began opening Krystals all over the Southeast – creating one of the first fast food restaurant chains in the United States. Krystal’s product line  also still centers on  small, square hamburgers served on a square steamed bun called, simply enough, a “Krystal”. Small hot dogs, named “pups” are also featured menu items.

Krystal restaurants, both company-owned and franchised, operate in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. There is also a single Krystal in Bristol, Virginia (which lies on the Tennessee-Virginia border), and two in Arkansas, one in West Memphis (directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis), and one on the other side of the state in Springdale (which is in the Fayetteville, Arkansas metropolitan area). Krystal is often compared to a similar Midwest restaurant chain 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. Krystal has more than 400 locations across the South. More history here.

As for the origins of the Krystal name, company legend states that the name was conceived by Mrs. Mary McGee Davenport. She selected the company name after noticing a crystal ball on a neighbor’s lawn. The name she chose, “Krystal Klean,” reflected the cleanliness of the restaurant; the name was later shortened to Krystal. A crystal ball became a symbol outside all Krystal restaurants.

Website: www.krystal.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Krystal: here

Specials: -Newsletter - Gift Card – Coupons

Jamba Juice

Name: Jamba Juice

Type of Food: Wraps, sandwiches, smoothies

Interesting Fact: Jamba Juice was  named the #1 Healthy option in the Quick Refreshment category in Zagat’s 2009 Fast Food Survey.

History: Jamba Juice was founded in April 1990 by Cal Poly graduate Kirk Perron, along with cofounders Joe Vergara, Kevin Peters, and Linda Ozawa Olds. In August 1997, Jamba entered into an operating agreement with Whole Foods Market to sell only “natural” products inside some of the Whole Foods’s locations, including Jamba’s smoothies’ ingredients. Jamba Juice focuses on healthy lifestyle food and beverage offerings, these include fruit smoothies, juices, teas, hot oatmeal made with organic, steel cut oats, and baked goods. Jamba Juice has 732 locations consisting of 499 company- owned and operated stores and 233 franchise stores.

Website: www.jambajuice.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Jamba Juice: here

Specials: -Newsletter – Gift Card – Coupons

South St. Burger Co.

Name: South St. Burger Co.

Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Fact: The name South St. Burger Co. comes from the name South Street Seaport, in New York City where the brothers founded the original New York Fries.

History: In 2005, Jay and Hal Gould, the brothers behind New York Fries,  opened a chain of stores called South St. Burger Co.  Each South St. Burger Co. makes the same fries as New York Fries but also sells hamburgers and salads. South St. Burger Co. has 12 locations across Canada, and it now expanding outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Website: www.southstburger.com

View the menu: here

Find your local South St. Burger Co.: here

New York Fries

Name: New York Fries

Type of Food: French fries and hot dogs

Interesting Fact: New York Fries is a Canadian company with no New York location.

History: New York Fries was founded in Brantford, Ontario by Jay Gould and his brother, Hal. In 1984, the brothers were reading the New York Times and noticed an article that read: “The best french fries are at a little stand at the South Street Seaport.” When the two brothers found the “little stand” they discovered New York Fries. They enjoyed the fries so much, they decided to buy the company. The location in New York City at South Street Seaport has since closed, but New York Fries can be found in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. New York Fries has over 200 locations worldwide, most are located in major shopping centers and movie theaters.  In 2005, New York Fries Company opened a chain of stores called South St. Burger Co. that makes the same fries as New York Fries  but also sells hamburgers and salads.

Website: www.newyorkfries.com

View the menu: here

Find your local New York Fries: here