The Krystal Company

It was on October 24, 1932, when the nation’s first Krystal restaurant opened its doors on the corner of Seventh and Cherry Streets in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee amid the harsh financial times of the Great Depression. Its founders, Rody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill, believed that despite the severe economic upheaval of the times, people would patronize a restaurant that was kept spotlessly clean, provided courteous service and offered a good meal at the lowest possible price. Proving this theory true, the restaurant’s first customer, French Jenkins, ordered six Krystals and a cup of coffee, all for the bargain price of 35 cents. Krystal is also keeping an eye to the future as the company invests in new restaurant designs, develops new, unique menu items and expands into new markets across the South – upholding its legacy as a Southern icon by offering that one-of-a-kind taste and the personal connection you can’t find anywhere else.