Coca Cola, fried green tomatoes, the Graceland mansion of Elvis Presley, chitlins, mint juleps, and pecan pie, are not the only reasons why a person goes “Down South” below the Mason-Dixon line. Krystal is also one of those reasons, where you can sample those unusual square shaped burger patties called “sliders” to the uninitiated Yankee, served on a steamed, hot bun with pickles, mustard and diced onions.
Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, and Georgia proudly have Krystal restaurants operating in their states that are either franchises or company-owned.
Krystal’s menu has expanded to include a 100% Angus beef, full-sized hamburger for heftier appetites (the Big Angus Burger) and the Krystal version of small-sized hotdogs endearingly known as “pups.” View the latest Krystal prices here.
More than 80 Years of Good Food Service
Krystal restaurants host the famous “Krystal Square Off,” a burger-eating contest that had, in 2007, a champion named Joey Chestnut who finished 103 Krystal sliders in just eight minutes.
Founded by Rody Davenport, Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill in 1932 in Tennessee, Krystal was the partners’ answer to the intense economic upheaval known as the Great Depression: a clean restaurant which had good meals served with courtesy at an affordable price.
Krystal has been in operation since 1932 in Chattanooga and moved to its present corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia only in 2013. Krystal is the oldest operating hamburger chain in the South and the 8th oldest in the U.S.
Cake doughnuts were breakfast and dessert items in Krystal restaurants during the ‘50s and kettle fried chicken was offered between 1970 and 1986, sometimes sold as stand-alone additions to the hamburgers.
Krystal’s Original Scrambler
Krystal’s diverse menu is well-known, including the popular country breakfast which one can have made to order egg and meat sandwiches, biscuits, and other favorite Southern foods. Of course there’s the famous Scrambler which now comes in four varieties: Original, Sausage Gravy, Pancake, and Low Carb.
The Original Scrambler is actually a traditional breakfast in Southern states that has been “stacked” or layered in a (Styrofoam) cup: scrambled eggs, Jimmy Dean sausage, grits, and American cheese.
Sausage Gravy Scrambler has layers of fresh scrambled eggs and rich sawmill gravy topped with a hot and buttery biscuit, while the Pancake Scrambler cup holds scrambled eggs, a patty of Jimmy Dean sausage and buttermilk pancakes topped with delicious maple syrup.
And for the high-protein sibling of the Original Scrambler there’s the Four Carb Scrambler, a stack of fresh scrambled eggs, American cheese and Smithfield bacon fried to a crisp.
Pups are Tasty
The South invented fried chicken and Krystal created their “chiks,” from the Krystal Chik (all white chicken breast fillet breaded, seasoned, and topped with dill pickles and mayonnaise on the Krystal trademark square, soft, steamed bun) to Chik’n Bites (bite-sized all white chicken breast meat, seasoned, breaded and served with Buffalo, Barbecue, Ranch, and Honey Mustard dipping sauces) to Krispy Chik’n Salad (filet of all white chicken breast meat on crisp, fresh romaine lettuce with grape tomatoes, grated cheese and salad dressing).
Krystal’s Pups are pint-sized hotdogs packed with delicious flavor and savory aroma, just like their big brothers. You can have these Pups four different ways:
- Plain: served with mustard and any of the premium toppings on a hot, soft, and steamy bun, Plain Pups can be a satisfying snack or a filling meal.
- Chili Cheese: grated cheddar cheese, mustard, chili, and other toppings of choice are what make the Chili Cheese Pup tiny, tasty, and just right to the bite.
- Chili: all-beef is what tasty chili is really all about and you can have that on top of Krystal’s Chili Pup with mustard or any other topping on an equally tasty bun.
- Corn: sweet and salty, Krystal’s Corn Pup is delicious Plain Pup rolled in sweet and fried-to-perfection cornbread that comes on a stick.
Sides For Pleasure
Krystal’s Sides have all the distinctive flavor of Southern food that makes eating such a pleasure:
- French fries: not all fries are made equal and Krystal cuts them square, cooks them to crisp perfection, and serves them in no-spill cups.
- Crispy fries: a single bowl of hearty chili and melted cheese with crisp French fries is spelled awesome when Krystal makes it.
- Ranch Chili Cheese fries: savory chili, tangy cheddar, ranch dressing and crisp fries served all together may seem excessive eating but once past that notion, call it scrumptious.
- Grits: and what’s Southern cuisine without fresh-milled kernels served hot and mouthwatering with melted butter? Corn is translated to grits by Krystal.
Krystal and Communities
Krystal’s interactive website supports the innovative application of mobile computing. The Krystal Locator has been put up for customers who want to satisfy their Krystal Kravings if they are in the Southeast US. Krystal is one of the very few food chains today which encourage active participation in the community.
Krystal has partnered with the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple™ to support military families, served up thousands of Krystal sliders and Krystal Chiks to the first responders of Hurricane Isaac in Gulfport, Mississippi, and has sent their Krystal Cruiser for a tornado clean up in Mobile, Alabama.
