What’ll ya have? What’ll ya have? It’s the official cry of the staff at Atlanta’s iconic fast food restaurant: The Varsity. Located on a 2 acre site at 61 North Avenue in downtown Atlanta, the world’s largest drive-in fast food restaurant’s bright neon signs and colorful flags beckon motorists passing by I-75/85. When my wife and I want to be bad and have fast food, we love going to The Varsity.
Founded in 1928, The Varsity is an old school burger joint. It serves hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, chili dogs, onion rings, sodas, tea, and milk shakes. In these days of fancy gourmet burgers, a “Glorified” burger at The Varsity has bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. If you are trying to be healthy, your best bet is probably a garden salad, a grilled chicken salad, a chicken salad sandwich, or BLT sandwich on wheat. You’d probably skip an ice cold Coke or their house-brand Orange Drink in favor of “unsweet” tea. The website says that they only use Kraft Lite Mayo in the chicken salad. All the fried food is fried in pure Canola oil so trans fats are eliminated and saturated fats are kept low.
Of course, it’s much more fun to be bad at The Varsity. My wife and I think their chili dogs and onion rings are simply awesome. Be sure to ask for some diced onion to go with your chili dogs. You can really taste the freshness. Desserts include sixteen flavors of ice cream, pie a la mode, brownies, and fried apple pies. Of course, since Georgia is the Peach State, you might want to try the fried peach pie for local flavor.
While the food is good, fresh, and fast, atmosphere is a large part of The Varsity experience. It’s a trip back in time to the days of diners, drive ins, straight forward hamburgers, and inexpensive eating. You can park and a carhop will bring you your food. But, for me, the downtown Atlanta Varsity is about standing shoulder to shoulder in a sea of hungry humanity. According to The their website, the restaurant can accommodate 600 cars and 800 people. When nearby Georgia Tech plays at home, the restaurant may have 30,000 game day visitors. The Varsity is the place people go before or after Atlanta Braves games. During the 1996 Olympics, the Olympic Village was located directly across from the restaurant. Amazingly, a small army of counter workers is up to the challenge and the lines at The Varsity move very quickly.
There are seven Varsity and Varsity Jr locations in North Georgia. But, you have to visit the downtown Atlanta location at least once. People watching at The Varsity is always fun. When my wife and I visit, we see all kinds of people. We’ve seen sunburned Braves fans, we’ve seen youth groups visiting the city for a civil rights field trip, and we’ve seen motorcyclists enjoying the Atlanta Skyline, the Olympic Torch statue, the flutter of colorful flags, and the cool breezes on top of the parking deck.
Overall, I recommend eating in moderation at The Varsity. When you are going to eat fast food, it’s worth the drive.
Sources:
The Varsity website
Personal Experience
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