About

ABOUT KRYSTALIST:

It all began in 1932 on the corner of Seventh and Cherry streets in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., when a man named French Jenkins ordered six “Krystals” and a cup of coffee, all for the bargain price of 35 cents, and proudly took his place on a stool. Stories of the small building with spotless chrome that served hot-off-the-grill Krystals and fresh coffee in thick china mugs began spreading across town and customers flocked to Krystal in hopes of snagging one of the restaurant’s six stools. Those not lucky enough to catch a seat began ordering sacks full of Krystals to take with them, making the restaurant a pioneer in the business of food “to go”.

Krystal has since been enjoyed by three generations, making it the oldest quick service restaurant chain in the Southeast and the second oldest chain in the U.S. What began as a small restaurant in downtown Chattanooga has evolved into a cultural icon with more than 400 locations across the South and a dedicated following of passionate customers.

And while the stools have long been replaced with tables, booths and even state-of-the-art drive-in stalls, some things remain unchanged: Krystal’s commitment to providing small, signature menu items with big taste and the stories and personal connections customers feel with the Krystal brand.

There’s a saying in the Krystal culture that “everyone has a Krystal story” and in that spirit, we welcome you to Krystalist.com.

We are Krystal enthusiasts, or Krystalists, as we like to call ourselves, and with this blog, we want to share with you our Krystal stories. From sneak peek looks inside the Krystal test kitchen, to behind-the-scenes at new restaurant openings, we’ll provide insight into the Krystal company, introduce you to “Krystalists” in the corporate office, share new information on Krystal menu items, post videos made by Krystal customers, share our own fond “Krystal eating memories” and spotlight all things small and square. And while it’s true that many of the posts you’ll read here are in fact written by publicists for the Krystal company, know that we aren’t just a bunch of flacks pushing a client on our roster. We each have a deep, personal connection with the Krystal brand and we just also happen to have an inside look at what’s going on. We’re sure we’ll pat ourselves on the back at some point and also touch on news within the company and the quick service industry, but we promise to always provide an interesting, new take without the fluff and the spin and we will always do our best to write as Krystalists first and publicists second.

So just like Mr. Jenkins did more than 75 years ago, pull up a stool, grab some coffee and take a look around.

COMMENT POLICY:

We want to hear from you, really, we do – so feel free to post your comments, concerns, observations, annotations, questions and suggestions. Just remember, being from the South and all, we’re big on hospitality and want to make this a comfortable place for everyone. Therefore, all comments will be reviewed before posting so please stay on topic, be courteous and avoid spam and profanity.

If you’ve got a story or video to share or news you think we should cover, let us know by emailing us at info [at] krystalist.com or under the “Contact” tab at the top of the page. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the opinions of The Krystal Company and we assume no responsibility for such content.

If you have comments, suggestions or complaints related to The Krystal Company please contact the company directly here.