I’ve had a life-long love for the city of Atlanta. Ironically, my link with Atlanta was born before I was even born; that’s where my parents went on their honeymoon. And then on their tenth anniversary, they returned there, along with their two sons, me and my brother. But it was later on after I was of age, I went to Atlanta and saw my first Major League game, the Atlanta Braves against the Cincinnati Reds. And as is said, the rest is history.
Over the years, I’ve returned there many times to go to baseball games. One of the most memorable trips was when I took my new wife and son there to introduce them to Atlanta. But no trip to Atlanta would be complete without a visit to The Varsity, the world’s largest drive-in restaurant.
But unfortunately, on the trip when I took Lynndee and Yogi, we missed going to The Varsity. It was on my list of things-to-do, but we got so busy those three days, I actually forgot about it. It was only after we hit the road on the way home that I remembered it and we were already an hour on the road so there was no going back. Therefore, on this trip to Atlanta we took this past weekend, going to The Varsity was #1 on the to-do list. And it worked out perfectly; we arrived in Atlanta right at lunchtime so went there before we even went to our hotel.
The Varsity was built in 1928, and after becoming so successful it was moved to its current location right across the street from Georgia Tech. The restaurant was originally named the Yellow Jacket, the Georgia Tech mascot, Buzz. After moving, the name of the restaurant was changed to The Varsity, reflecting the owner’s ambition to expand the restaurant chain to other college campuses. Being so close to Georgia Tech, when the Yellow Jackets play a home game, over 30,000 people visit The Varsity.
Coca Cola, born in Atlanta, is the exclusive drink of The Varsity.
The menu is pretty simple. My favorite is the chili cheese dog, and the chili cheeseburger is just as good. I find their onion rings to be the best anywhere. The rings remind me of the ones I used to get at Babe Malloys Drive-In here in Asheville, a long-gone place.
The catchphrase logo of The Varsity, ” What’ll ya have?”
The drive in area, not as large as it once was. Once upon a time, there were 100 curb hops to take people’s orders. Still, today the parking lot will hold 600 cars and the building will accommodate 800 customers. In visiting The Varsity, I can’t help but be reminded of the days when I worked at a drive-in. I was in high school and began as a curb hop, later on becoming the short-order cook. And I must admit, that was probably my most favorite job ever. My brother and I both worked there along with our two best friends. And the things we learned there, other than work, would fill a book, but I won’t go there…:) Good memories of times gone by.
Wow that is a super cute place to go. Love the idea of a drive in, it brings back memories for so many of youthful days!
i have never heard of this place before and it looks so good!!! I am so hungry and this just made it worse LOL great post.
That is so awesome! I’ve always loved that old school, diner feel. My husband and I actually have a similar place nearby that we love to go to for date nights.
I was born in Atlanta and currently live about 2 hours south. My daughter lives just north of Atlanta so we are big fans of The Varsity. We were there just a couple of months ago. Love it! Those onion rings!!
The Varsity sounds like it is such a fun place to explore as a family. We love going to drive in movies and hot dog spots, so I will definitely be putting the Varsity on our bucket list!
How fun! We have a restaurant (we totally call it a joint) like this in our neck of the woods and we frequent as often as possible. Great food, great atmosphere, and it takes me back to my childhood. Thank you for sharing your adventure. I’m glad that you are were able to visit on this visit!
It sounds and looks like such a great place to eat. I wish we had one of these nearby. Looks like a lot of fun.
We love to visit diners!! Atlanta is a city I love to visit as well. I went there twice last year and it is a wonderful city.
I have only driven through Atlanta a handful of times. I haven’t heard of The Varsity. The food looks so good. I love onion rings but they are usually way too greasy.
That sounds like a great place. I would love to visit that restaurant sometime. I don’t know if there are any nearby though. It looks like they have some great food.
I’ve never been to Atlanta, but this place looks awesome! My kids would love this place. The food looks great!
That would be a fun date night for me and my hubby! Food looks good.
My husband is from Atlanta and we visit The Varsity whenever we go back to visit his family. The food is great and you can’t beat the atmosphere and theme! Glad to see you made it and had a great time!
The last time I was in Atlanta was for a blogging conference I didn’t know they still had drive thru’s