Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Sandy’s Souvenir Glass – Nov. 1971

Back in November 1971, the Sandy’s chain of fast food restaurants was featuring a special promotion for its customers. For only 59 cents, the purchaser received a 14 ounce, reusable plastic glass filled with a milk shake, along with a cheeseburger and an order of ‘golden brown French Fries.’

Above is the ad that ran in the Journal on Nov. 17, 1971.

It’s appropriate that the glass is referred to as a souvenir, because the Sandy’s era of the hamburger chain was winding down and soon the Hardee’s name would replace it. 

According to this Wiki page, “On November 30, 1971, a Hardee’s purchase of all of Sandy’s stock was announced, and Sandy’s plaid berets were soon to be seen no more.” As originally planned, the Sandy’s restaurants were supposed to retain their own identity, but they eventually were all converted to the Hardee’s brand.

I never felt the same way about Hardee’s as I did about Sandy’s. Chalk it up to the Scottish lassie, I guess.

By the time Hardee’s took over a year or so later, McDonald’s and Burger King already had a strong presence in Lorain County. Their national advertising campaigns helped them to completely overshadow the smaller burger chain.

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Unlike the small glasses with the original blonde Sandy’s lassie, the souvenir plastic cups with the brunette version mentioned are much harder to find. But a few exist today and found their way online. There are a couple on eBay right now.

4 comments:

  1. I remember both the Sandy's and the Hardee's tucked in the corner of the Lorain Plaza shopping center parking lot on Oberlin Avenue across from Willow Hardware and next door to St. Peter's church.

    I can still hear Mama Cass in my ears singing the Hardee's jingle: "Hurry on down to Hardee's. . . "

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    1. Didn't Mama Cass choke on a ham sandwich or something like that and die?I wonder if it was a Hardee's sandwich?

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  2. P.S. Our elderly nextdoor neighbors on West Erie Avenue were Scottish immigrants. I don't know if they ever ate at Sandy's.

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  3. No. Mama Cass did not die from eating a ham sandwich or any.food. That is a myth. The autopsy concluded that she died in her sleep of a heart attack. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Elliot#Death

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