Merle Travis
Country musician and song writer Merle Travis enjoyed eating at Nikki’s Drive Inn on Cherokee Boulevard when he was traveling through Chattanooga. It was in early 1966 when Travis came to entertain at the Tennessee Valley Playhouse in Kensington, Ga. The Rosewood, Ky., native had written “Sixteen Tons” - the number one song made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Travis had several big country hits of his own including “Dark as a Dungeon”.
At the time WDOD was broadcasting a portion of the show live. Ray Hobbs was the MC and I was the engineer. One Saturday Travis was due to perform and before the show we all went to Nikki’s for an afternoon meal. One of the managers, Wally West, found out that Mr. Travis was in the dining room and insisted that the musician get his guitar and pick a little. Travis went to his pickup truck, brought one of his guitars inside the restaurant and started playing. I remember one of the songs was the “Cannonball Rag”. Travis then enjoyed some of Nikki’s Gulf Coast Shrimp, French Fries and tossed Salad. Before he’d completed his meal, Mr. West brought him some of those famous onion rings.
Before the concert started Mr. Travis told the audience how much he enjoyed eating at Nikki’s. The country entertainer became good friends with Mr. West and would often stop at Nikki’s when he was going through the Scenic City. Merle Travis died Oct. 20, 1983.
Travis wasn’t the only entertainer to stop and eat at Nikki’s. Roy Rogers ate at Nikki’s when he visited the Moccasin Bend Shooting Range in 1967. Several autographed pictures of the stars lined the dining room with five booths, three tables and a counter where many would enjoy hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings or complete dinners.
Nikki’s was a favorite of Luther Masingill’s lunch bunch on Tuesday. The radio personality would always order a fried bologna sandwich. The landmark restaurant closed two years ago and the iconic building was torn down over the weekend.
In the words of the late Jim Crittenden, “There will never be another Nikki’s.”
The demolished Nikki's