Sheldon “Red” Chaney (1916-1997) opened what would become a highly popular restaurant along the portion of U.S. Highway 66 (Route 66) in Springfield, Missouri. He and his wife Julia Elizabeth Etter Chaney (1914-2006) moved to Springfield not long after he completed his military service during World War II.
As a new resident of Springfield, Red Chaney — armed with a college degree in business administration – purchased a Sinclair gas station with several motor court cabins on the property. The Chaneys soon realized, however, that a restaurant specializing in hamburgers might be a more lucrative business venture for them to pursue there. The ultimate result of their pursuit was Red’s Giant Hamburg, which is depicted in the accompanying photo likely taken some time around 1980.
Over the next few decades after it was opened, Red’s Giant Hamburg gained widespread renown as a frequently visited fixture that was emblematic of the roadside commerce and cultural resonance of Route 66 for many traveling on that highway. This establishment earned additional fame as one of the first drive-through restaurants (if not the first drive-through restaurant) in the world.
One of the high-profile illustrations of the appeal of Red’s Giant Hamburg took place in 1982, when the Springfield-based rock band known as the Morells introduced a song paying tribute to the restaurant. During an interview with the Springfield News-Leader that same year, Red Chaney talked about how a film crew from a PBS affiliate in Minnesota had recently visited the restaurant while in the area to work on part of a documentary about Route 66. “Yeah, they loved it,” Chaney said. “They told me I’m one of two hamburger stands left on Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. The other one’s in California, somewhere.”
The News-Leader highlighted the restaurant again in a July 1984 edition. “There are two enduring memories of Red’s,” asserted this article. “The first is the vintage-model autos [Red Chaney’s] kept parked in front of his place.” This newspaper went on to note, “The second is the off-beat personality of Red himself. He makes his own root beer from a special formula of licorice root and sassafras, spices his food service with his business philosophy, and occasionally entertains his customers by drumming on the countertop with two table knives in time with rockabilly music.”
Later that year, though, this memorable Route 66 landmark closed after the Chaneys decided to retire. The restaurant eventually fell into disrepair, and without any objections from either Red or Julia Chaney, was torn down in 1997. This demolishment occurred only two weeks before Red Chaney died at the age of 81. A historical marker commemorating this restaurant has been installed at the Route 66 Roadside Park in Springfield.
Photo Credit: P51d007 (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
Additional information on Red’s Giant Hamburg is available at https://missouriencyclopedia.org/places/reds-giant-hamburg
Fore more information on Route 66 Roadside Park, please check out https://www.springfieldmo.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3645/Roadside-Park-PDF?bidId=
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