Krystal offers Free Wi-Fi Internet access to guests in nearly 400 Krystal locations across the South.

Did you know that Krystal first introduced Free Wi-Fi Internet access to guests in 2003 at its UT Knoxville location? Did you also know that by June 2004 Krystal had 50 plus “Krystal Hotspots” offering free Wi-Fi? And that not soon after, Krystal integrated free wireless internet in all its restaurants systemwide.

Why do we mention this you might ask? Well, now that certain airlines, hotels and even some of the “other guys” in the fast food industry have decided to get in the game, Krystal still prides itself on being one of the first to offer Free Wi-Fi to its guests; while even now these late comers are still either limiting access time or charging as much as $12 or more to surf the sky.

We’re proud to say that for the past four years, Krystal guests have enjoyed using the company’s Free Wi-Fi for everything including: impromptu business meetings, study sessions, checking email during a leisurely lunch, sharing a favorite Krystal meal with friends on Facebook, participating in Krystal contests by logging onto Krystal.com and more.

So, in light of all those who are just now catching on, we just wanted to take a minute to share a big thank you from The Krystal Team to all its guests who have stopped by a Krystal restaurant to grab a bite and take advantage of its Free Wi-Fi access. We hope you continue to enjoy using this service as much as you enjoy your little, square Krystal Burgers hot-off-the-grill.

Stay tuned for more innovative ideas from the folks at your favorite Southern quick-service eatery!

It’s an interview with a twist, or shall we say “tweet.” Tomorrow afternoon, QSRWeb’s Editor Christa Hoyland will interview Krystal’s VP of Marketing Brad Wahl (@KrystalBrad) about the brand’s use of the the microblogging service Twitter, and appropriately so, it will be conducted via Twitter. The online chat is set to  cover everything from the basics of why Krystal decided to use Twitter to how Twitter has changed the brand’s marketing approach.

If you followed Wahl on Twitter during the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, then you may have already heard some of his views related to New Media Strategies. This interview will be a more in depth look at Twitter specifically and will contain even more of Wahl’s great comments and feedback. The conversation will be worth tracking just to see Wahl try and keep his answers to 140 characters.

Set your calendars for 3:15 p.m. tomorrow, June 3 so you can follow @krystalbrad and @CHoylandQSRweb to check it out.

It’s time to show some love for your favorite brand, Krystal! The Chattanooga Times Free Press is currently accepting votes for its 2009 “Best of the Best” contest, which means all of you Krystal fans out there have the opportunity to show your support and vote online.

It’s very easy. Simply click the link below, enter your name and contact info and start typing in your top choices. You can vote for Krystal in a number of different categories like these:

http://surveys.timesfreepress.com/opinio/s?s=2455

• Best All Around Restaurant
• Best Breakfast (You know you love those Scramblers!)
• Best Burger In Town (Hello Famous Krystal)
• Best Carry Out
• Best Dessert (Umm, MilkQuake anyone?)
• Best Dinner Under $10
• Best Doughnuts (Sweet Bites!)
• Best Meal For The Money (Have you heard of the $5 Value Meal?)
• Best Outdoor Dining (A shout out to the Brainerd Rd. Krystal drive-in)
• Best Local Event (Krystal Square Off, need I say more?)

So, join us in the fun and be sure to share what you voted for here on Krystalist or on The Official Krystal Lover Community Facebook Page. We’d love to hear from you. Happy Voting!

Back in early March, we told you about Krystal’s 2008 Franchise General Manager (GM) of the Year, Rus Morris, who exemplified outstanding performance in a number of operational and service related areas. Since then, Montgomery-area media have joined us in congratulating Morris for being a superb leader and general manger of the Prattville Krystal since Dec. 2002.

Check out The Montgomery Advertiser’s “People in Business” article, which can be read here on pages two and three. To view Morris in action, click play on the WFSA 12 News clip featured below.

For more on this story, read the full press release in the Krystalist Newsroom.

As you may have figured by now, we’re Twitter addicts (follow us @krystalist), and we just came across the below TwitPic photo of the new Starkville Krystal taken by @grahamhancock. Today is opening day, and from what we’ve seen on Twitter, local residents are pretty excited to finally have a Krystal all their own.

We love his headline for the photo: “It’s glorious.”

Click the thumbnail below to enlarge, and for more on the Starkville Krystal go here. Have your own photo? Share with us and you may see it posted here at Krystalist.com.

For Ruby Hall of Jackson, Miss., breakfast at Krystal is more than just a great meal to start her day. It’s a near-daily tradition that has now spanned more than a quarter of a century.

Hall, whose Krystal story is profiled in today’s The Jackson Sun, started her ritual of visiting Krystal for breakfast more than 25 years ago while her husband Jerry was away at work. Once he retired in 1992, Jerry joined her, and together they’ve kept the tradition going, starting every day of the week except Sunday at Krystal with anywhere between 10 to 20 others who “join them to greet the day with a cup of coffee, a biscuit and lots of laughs – especially the laughs.”

As Ruby tells it, “Something old people can do is eat. But we do more chatting than anything. It gets you going in the mornings, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Read the rest of Ruby’s heartwarming Krystal story, including how her and Jerry spent their 60-year wedding anniversary, on the The Jackson Sun website here.

When it comes to getting a great meal without breaking the bank or a late-night snack to cap off a perfect evening, Krystal takes the cake according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The newspaper just released its East Tennessee’s Best 2008 list, and Krystal took top honors in both the Best Meal Under $10 and Best Late-Night Restaurant categories. Krystal also received an honorable mention for Best Free Wi-Fi Spot.

In picking Krystal as the best meal for under 10 bucks, the News Sentinel says:

“Ever shelled out a considerable price for a meal in a more expensive restaurant, only to find that it wasn’t worth nearly what you paid? Maybe the service was lousy and the food was iffy. Or maybe you just paid $60 for what should have been a $20 meal. In those situations, think of Krystal as your favorite superhero. Krystal will swoop down from the sky, rescuing your bank account with its one-two power punch of cheapness and yummy-ness.”

And on Krystal’s late night distinction, the newspaper states:

“What’s hot, small and square, comes equipped with mustard, pickle and steamed-in onion flavor, can have cheese added, and mysteriously tastes even more wonderful after midnight?

The only thing we can think of is a Krystal. Appropriately enough, you’ll find these signature sandwiches at Krystal. Krystal is where you go when your stomach starts rumbling after dark. Hit the drive-thru with a friend, grab a sack full of Cheese Krystals, then head back home for an all nighter of Grand Theft Auto IV.

What other way is there to spend a weekend?”

That’s a rhetorical question, right?

Speaking of grabbing some Krystal late night, we just found this video of a guy enjoying a table full of Cheese Krystals and Chili Cheese Pups. Notice the Tabasco sauce to his right. This guy knows what he’s doing. We’re not sure if he finished everything in front of him, but if he did, we’re guessing he could probably give Brad Sciullo a run for his money.

We just received this fun photo from a Krystal drive-thru guest proving that when you “gotta, wanna, needa, getta, hava” some delicious, flavorful food, you head to the nearest Krystal restaurant . . . even if you’re in a Bojangles’ van.

The driver isn’t alone in his craving for Krystal while on the job for another fast food chain. Last May, we featured a Hardees truck in the parking lot at a Krystal, and before that we had the creepy Burger King himself ordering up some Krystal at our French Quarter restaurant and the Chick-fil-A cow showing he’s a fan by wearing a Krystal Lover’s sticker.

As we said before, when you gotta have Krystal, you just gotta have Krystal.

State-of-the-art digital menu boards with integrated TVs are positioned directly in front of each parking space at the new Krystal drive-in in Greenville.

Krystal lovers in Greenville, South Carolina can rejoice as the brand new Krystal drive-in, drive-thru and dine-in officially opened its doors today at 6 a.m. and is now serving up delicious menu items hot off the grill.

The state-of-the-art restaurant features a full-service drive-in with classic carhop service, in-your-vehicle Wi-Fi internet access and digital menu boards with integrated TVs positioned directly in front of each parking space.

Not only that, the new restaurant (which is only one of three in the nation) is serving up an expanded menu that includes brand new items.  This, of course, is in addition to the popular Krystal favorites, such as Krystal burgers, Krystal Chiks and Pups.

The new menu choices now available include items such as: Hot ‘N Country Wings®, chicken wings covered in a deliciously crispy and spicy breading; Krystal Smoothies®, a line up of all-natural, all-fruit smoothie beverages; Mac ‘N Cheese Wedges®, small, tasty wedges of fried mac ‘n cheese bites; RockSlides®, a line of ice cream-based beverages that include mix-ins such as M&Ms, Butterfinger and Snickers; and Krystal Toaster Sandwiches®, a variety of Krystal-sized sandwiches served on toasted bread including Philly Cheesesteak, Turkey Club, Grilled Cheese, BLT and Grilled Bacon and Cheese.

The new Krystal also includes a full-service drive-in for those who need a quick meal on the go as well as a traditional dining room for those who want to eat in.

So for those in the Greenville area, there’s a new place to eat in town.  Why not stop by today and let us know what your favorite part of the new Krystal is.  Is it drive-in? The new menu items? Or maybe both?

We’ve all been there.

You need to meet a business client, a customer, a family member or a friend somewhere for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You’re each coming from opposite ends of the city, or perhaps even in from another state – so how do you select that halfway point to serve as your meeting destination?

Never fear.

Let technology figure it out for you.

Thanks to the website Meetways.com, you can type in your address and the address of the person you’re meeting, and the site will find the exact halfway point for you.

You can even define a point of interest, like say a Krystal restaurant, to meet up at. (Hey – don’t forget Krystal has free Wi-Fi plus great breakfast, lunch and dinner options – so it’s a great place to meet!)

The site will also give you directions to the location.

So for example, if you are in Atlanta and you have to meet someone driving in from Oxford, Mississippi, a good halfway point would be the Krystal at 1701 2nd Ave in Cullman, Alabama.

Who knew?

To find your next meeting location in the middle, click here.