Red's Giant Hamburgs
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Red's Giant Hamburg was a cafe on U.S. Highway 66 in Springfield, Missouri. It was the world's first drive-through restaurant. Owned by Sheldon "Red" Chaney (1916-1997), it started as a motor court with the cafe added later in 1947. Chaney decided that customers would prefer to place their orders by yelling through a window, and the drive-through was born. The name was supposed to be "Red's Giant Hamburgers", but Chaney measured the sign wrong and decided to drop the "er".
The interior was painted with a blue ceiling and green floors to imitate the outdoors; Chaney believed people would compare it to eating at a picnic. Root beer was kept in a barrel. An old car, a home-made mobile, and anything else to draw attention to the place was kept in front, plainly visible from the highway. When Chaney retired in 1984, the city asked him to remove all of it.
The building was removed in 1997 shortly before Chaney's death. Plans are being considered for a historic marker to be erected at the site.
Sheldon "Red" Chaney died on June 2, 1997. Red's wife, and partner, Julia Chaney, died on May 19, 2006.
[edit] References
Obituary, (Springfield, MO) News-Leader, May 23, 2006 [1]
