Hello,
Thanks for your awesome website! I have enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures.
My dad was the original manager of the Lodi, Calif store. We moved from Macomb, Ill in 1970 for that purpose and he just retired from the grocery business on Oct 30th, '08.
We are putting together a binder of memorabilia for his retirement party and tripped upon your site. Attached please find some images and articles.
His experience at Sandy's still brings back fond memories to our entire family to this day.
Thanks again for doing this thoughtful thing you've done with the website.
Sincerely,
The Hanning family,
Sandy's fans Gerald and Susan,
Sandy's Kids David, Jeff, Kathy and Debbie
11/03/2008 ... Jeff:
A slight correction...The Lodi, Ca. Sandy's was opened in 1969 by me and a local milk man who we tried to train as a manager. He was followed by another fellow, who was sent back to Kewanee, Il. for management training and was fired a few months after returning to Lodi for theft of company funds. I don't know what happened in 1970 because I was promoted to regional manager and moved back to Kewanee, Il. This can be verified by any person who ever worked for Sandy's/Hardees.
- Ron Burris
Sandy's Lodi, California location complete with palm trees in 1970! Lodi, along with Santa Rosa were the spearheads into the California market, expanding Sandy's nationwide!
11/14/2008 ... Here is the current photo of the Lodi Sandy's. They made a lot of changes to it over the years, but you can still see the old footprint and building shape. It's now called Teriyaki Time. - Jeff Hanning
Gerald and Susan at a Sandy's headquarters training session in Kewanee, Illinois!
Gerald with daughter Debbie in her official Sandy's Tam-O-Shanter beret along with matching Sandy's plaid necktie!
Not to be outdone, Kathy takes a turn modeling as little Miss Sandy.
Here Gerald takes part in congratulating the winners in the local version of the Sandy's national Pass, Dribble and Shoot Contest. The P.D.&S. Contest was a nationwide hunt for the best players by age category and was in conjunction with the N.B.A.
Gerald and Susan in pictures from Sandy's training seminar in Kewanee, Illinois.
01/12/2010 ... I finished reading more of the website and ran across the info on the Lodi, CA. location and the manager Gerald Hanning. There are two photos posted of Manager’s Training in Kewanee in 1969. What a surprise to see my photo in the class! I’m the one on the far left in the first photo and the one on the far right in the second photo. Notice the watch that I’m wearing. It was given to me by the franchisee. You can’t see the face of the watch, but it is monogrammed with the Sandy’s logo and my initials. I still have the watch. Also, I think the gentleman seated on the left in the first photo is Walt Bowers, but I’m not sure.
Thanks,
Bob Sammons
Clippings from The Kewanee Star-Courier announcing the completion of the Sandy's National Headquarters in Kewanee in 1968!
11/25/2008 ... Here are some more pictures of ol' Sandy's stuff! First is the official patch from Sandy's Pass Dribble and Shoot contest. The next pictures are of my dad's management Zippo lighter that every manager and owner received compliments of Sandy's with their name engraved on the back. Last I proudly present my dad's wall plaque which he received when he passed the Sandy's management training in Kewanee, Illinois! - Jeff Hanning
Sandy's fan Kirk Robinson wrote;
Love your web site, as I just stumbled on it this mourning for the first time.
Had many burgers and shakes at the Sandy's in Lodi, California growing up as a kid.
Funny Story:
The actual full grown Palm Trees that were planted in front of the Lodi Sandy's for its Grand Opening in 1969
were actually from my grandparents front yard.
They lived on Pleasant Ave,. a few blocks away.
Some one from Sandy's corporate office approached my Grandfather and offered to pay him for his Palm Trees.
My Grandfather had grown weary of the clean up every time the wind blew, that he was so happy to get rid of them, he gave them to the company. To his surprise they showed up within a couple hours with huge equipment including cranes and took the two trees away lickedly split!
Anyway, the reason I am writing you is I was wondering if you have ever run across or heard of anyone else ever running across any original blue prints of the third generation Sandy's Restaurants.
I'm a General Building Contractor, and it would be a real treat to see something like this. I always thought the design of the building in Lodi, was very cool with the angeled windows, counters etc.
Was just curious, if you had ever heard of something like this surviving.
Absolutely Great Site!!
Best regards,
Kirk Robinson
Americana Historian Robby Delius presents - Sandy's Lodi, California ads including the Grand Opening and the flip to Red Barn!
01/17/1969
01/17/1969
01/17/1969
01/20/1969
01/23/1969
01/28/1969
02/08/1969
01/14/1969
01/15/1969
01/16/1969
03/17/1969
11/05/1970
04/07/1971
10/13/1971
03/24/1972
06/23/1972
10/19/1972
11/11/1972
12/01/1962
02/09/2010 ... Sandy's fan and alumni Jim Bennett wrote...
I worked for Sandy's in Lodi, California, from about February 1971 through the merger of Sandy's with Hardees. Unfortunately, the Lodi Sandy's did not merger, but was sold to another fast food chain called "The Red Barn". I stayed with them until Christmas of 1972 and then went to work for Grand Auto.
It was 1971 and I was a Senior at Lodi High. I had been working for a Tropical Plant Nursery, but got laid off due to lack of business growth. My cousin, Nancy (Ehrhardt) Kundert, was working at Sandy's and told me they were hiring, so I applied. Don't remember everyone working there at the time, but I do remember Gerald Hanning and another manager by the name of Sid (don't remember his last name right now.) Sid had been with one of the Sandy's in Norman, Oklahoma, and had just relocated to Lodi. I recall working for/with Jerry for a few months, but then he left. Not long after that, Sid brought in one of his boys from Norman, a guy named Claude. Besides Nancy and I, others that worked there included Carl Jernigan, Kris Kundert, Donald Potter, Frank Madden and Debbie Perryman. I know that there were a lot of other that I worked with, but I don't recall the names right now.
Sandy's was located on Kettleman Lane, or Hiway 12, in Lodi. It was a front store for a strip mall that housed a Gibson's Discount Store and an Albertsons Grocery. One of the other front stores for this area was a drive-in called Wimpey's, which was your standard walk-up. Wimpey's was owned by a Mr. McMillan, who had a daughter named Marsha, who went to Leroy Nichols Elementary School and Lodi Senior High with my cousin and I. Adjacent to this area was a housing development called Lowes Village, a lot of 1960's vintage small, flat roof homes.
Being located on Hiway 12, Sandy's was on a main road that led from the north east bay area to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, or the Gold Rush Country. A main access road to Angles Camp and the annual Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Festival held every May. Back in the late 1960's and early 1970's, this festival was a favorite of the Hells Angels. Every year a group of the Hells Angles would head up Hiway 12 out of the Bay Area to Angles Camp. Inevitably some of them would stop at Sandy's for a bite to eat. Fortunately we never had any encounters with them, but a bar they frequented on the other side of the road was not as lucky.
Before working at Sandy's, I remember going there for burgers quite often. They used to run a 5 burger special for what I recall was $1.00. When my mother, Pearl Bennett, was completing a wedding cake on a Friday or Saturday evening, we would get a bunch of burgers and fries from Sandy's. I also recall working a number of Old Fashion Days where burgers sold for a dime and fries for a nickel. These were very busy days. I always like the Big Scot and the Tenderloins.
Also, to Kirk Robinson. If you ever do plan on building a Sandy's, don't use the HVAC plans that were used on the one in Lodi. The Sheet Metal Shop my father, Luther Bennett, worked for when the Lodi Sandy's was built (Vic Meyers) bid on the project, but was too high. Back then the mechanics did most of the smaller HVAC systems designs and layouts. My father's cost was high because of the extra HVAC as a result of all of the glass in the storefront, and was not accepted. To make a long story short - The store was built but was always hot because the AC system did not properly take into account all of the load required to control the load from the glass. Live and learn.
Great site.
Jim Bennett
09/22/2010 ... Sandy's fan Michelle Tavarez Butler wrote... Hi, Great website! It’s been fun viewing this Lodi history. I was doing a simple search for ideas on event advertising….wanting to go the old fashioned route, and I ran across this website. As I was reading and looking at the pictures, I realized that I had gone to Lodi High School with the Hanning kids, Jeff, Kathy and Debbie. Very cute pictures of the girls! They’re a wonderful family and it’s nice to see this great collection of Lodi history. The site has been helpful to me for design ideas and I appreciate those like Jeff Hanning that have taken the time to post this information and give us a glimpse into the past.
Thank you,
Michelle Tavarez Butler
Group Sales Manager
Visit Lodi ! Conference & Visitors Bureau
115 S. School St., Suite 9
Lodi, CA 95240
ph: (209) 365-1195
fx: (209) 365-1191
mtavarezbutler@visitlodi.com
If you have any memorabilia, pictures or stories of Sandy's in Lodi, California or elsewhere please email me!
If you remember Sandy's in Lodi, you might just remember Marshal J. Click here to see!
