Krystal (restaurant)
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1932 in Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
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Number of locations
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360 |
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Key people
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Rody Davenport, Jr., J. Glenn Sherrill, Founders Corporate Info</ref> |
| Products | Fast food, including hamburgers, french fries, chicken, milkshakes, and breakfast offerings. |
| Owner | Argonne Capital Group |
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Number of employees
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6,500+ |
| Website | krystal.com |
Rody Davenport, Jr., J. Glenn Sherrill, Founders
Krystal is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is known for its small, square hamburger sliders with steamed-in onions. Krystal moved its corporate headquarters from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it had been based since 1932, to Atlanta in early 2013.
Founded on October 24, 1932, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, during 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." The restaurant's first customer, French Jenkins, ordered six "Krystals" and a cup of coffee, all for the price of 35¢, thus proving their theory true.
Davenport had visited White Castle restaurants, taking notes of successful features, before setting forth on his own venture. Davenport and Sherrill set up the first Krystal at the corner of 7th and Cherry Streets in Chattanooga. The first Krystal was a modular building constructed in Chicago and shipped to Chattanooga for final installation. The oldest Krystal still in operation is located on Cherokee Boulevard in Chattanooga's Northshore District. Krystal is the seventh or eighth-oldest hamburger chain in the United States (the oldest being White Castle) and the oldest in the South.
Regarding the origins of the Krystal name, company legend states that Davenport and his wife were riding down a mountain road when Mrs. Mary McGee Davenport saw a lawn ornament in the shape of a crystal ball. While gazing at the lawn ornament, Mrs. Davenport commented that since Davenport and Sherrill felt cleanliness was a cornerstone of the concept, they should name the restaurant Crystal for "clean as a crystal" - yet with a "K" to add a little twist. Krystal's restaurants through the years often sported a crystal ball on the top.
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Wikipedia