French C. Jenkins
French C. Jenkins may have had his hands full trying to mount a metal ball on top of the first Krystal restaurant in downtown Chattanooga on Oct. 24, 1932, but he is best remembered for his full stomach.
The reason was that he was the first customer to eat at the Chattanooga-based eatery on its opening day of business.
The late metalworker’s story has resurfaced in recent months as a result of some additional information that has been uncovered after his 2008 induction into the Krystal Lovers Hall of Fame.
The latest chapter began when Kyrstal had no picture of Mr. Jenkins to put on a burger box recognizing him, but put out the word that it was looking for more information.
After hearing of the request, two of Mr. Jenkins’ grandchildren, Danny Cobble and Donna Hill of Dalton, Ga., contacted Krystal and gave more details. They also provided a picture of Mr. Jenkins, and his face now adorns numerous redesigned burger boxes.
“The Krystal company had lost track of all that information,” recalled Mr. Cobble. “There had been a fire at their offices. They knew the story but couldn’t find anything about it.”
The moment in which Mr. Jenkins bought the first food may have been historic, but it was not dramatic.
“He was actually working on the building,” said Mr. Cobble of the small, prefabricated building that was at the southwest corner of Seventh and Cherry streets. “He was an ironworker and the building had a big steel ball, and he and another fellow were mounting the ball and somebody came out and asked if they wanted to buy the first Krystal hamburgers that were sold.
“It’s my understanding he bought six Krystals and a cup of coffee.”
Because of Mr. Cobble’s pioneering role, he also received the opportunity to purchase the eatery’s first fried chicken when Krystal began selling it in 1968. But the restaurant had to be reminded of his contribution before he did.
“My mother (Patricia Cobble) got in contact with Krystal and he bought the first Krystal chicken, too,” Mr. Cobble said.
Some newspaper articles that came out in 1968 about the first chicken being bought at the South Broad Street Krystal also offered some additional information on the first hamburgers that were purchased in 1932.
It said that J.H. Goodman of Ooltewah had been helping Mr. Jenkins mount the metal ball at the new Krystal, and he ate three of Mr. Jenkins’ six Krystals. The stories also said that Mr. Jenkins had prearranged with Glenn Sherrill, who co-founded Krystal along with R.B. Davenport Jr., to buy the first Krystals, which, along with the coffee, cost 5 cents each.
The metal ball had come about after Mr. Davenport’s wife, Mary McGee Davenport, noticed a crystal ball-type ornament in a yard as they were traveling down Lookout Mountain when plans for the restaurant were being made.
Both Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Goodman were at the 1968 event, and Mr. Jenkins shared at the time that they had actually received the Krystal work in 1932 by following a truckload of steel going through town. Because the Depression had begun, work was often scarce, he said.
The architect for the original Krystal building was Gordon L. Smith Sr., and the porcelain parts were manufactured in Chicago.
About the time the first Krystal opened, Mr. Jenkins was listed in the Chattanooga city directory as being a mechanic with Standard Iron and Wire Works and a resident of 2114 Bennett Ave. off South Willow Street. He later lived in other residences but eventually settled at 2715 E. 17th St. near Dodson Avenue before moving to Dalton prior to his death in 1971.
Mr. Cobble said his grandfather, who worked for Standard on East 10th Street for a number of years, would occasionally discuss his unusual role in Chattanooga history.
“He told us the story several times, but he didn’t consider it a big deal,” he said.
Mr. Cobble, who was attending the University of Tennessee when his grandfather died, said the two had some good times together.
“We had a very good relationship,” he said. “He was a big baseball fan and I played baseball a lot as a kid.”
He also remembered that Mr. Jenkins and his wife were big supporters of the Democratic Party, and he would often push candidates like U.S. Sen. Estes Kefauver.
He did not push himself, however, other than physically on the job, and would likely be surprised that he is in the Krystal Hall of Fame, his grandson added.
“I am sure he would be tickled with it,” said Mr. Cobble. “He was a very unassuming man.”
Jcshearer2@comcast.net