01/24/2010... Sandy's fan Patrick O'Leary provides the first shots of Sandy's Louisville's third generation building and sign!
These pictures were taken Oct 16, 1971 at the Sandy’s on South Third St in Louisville, KY. They were taken during the Pass, Dribble and Shoot contest. Check out the prices on the menu.
I started working at Sandy’s June 1970. I was only 13 years old getting ready to turn 14 years old. I was hired as the “lot boy”. I emptied all the garbage cans, hose the lot, washed windows, etc, etc. My older sister worked there so the store manager knew me. I was sitting in the lobby one afternoon drinking a coke after shooting some hoops with my buddies. The manager came out into the lobby and asked me if I wanted a job for a few weeks. The “lot boy” he had hired was going to be off for a few weeks so he wanted me to fill in. When the original “lot boy” returned the manager liked me so well he kept both of us. After a few more weeks the original “lot boy” got fired and I stayed.
Once school started the manager started scheduling me to work the grill and as they say … the rest is history. I worked there all four years I was in high school. I quit August 1974 two weeks before I went in the U.S. Marines.
I only lived a block from the store so it was easy for me to get to work because nobody had to give me a ride. I ended up being a “lead” person where I was closing and opening the store by myself. When Hardees took over they didn’t like the idea of a 15 year old kid closing and opening the store. I had a key and the combination to the safe ! I played football my junior and senior year of high school. During the season the manager would only schedule me to work Sunday.
I attended an all boy Catholic school that the tuition was $500 bucks a year. I paid my tuition by working at Hardees ! If it had not been for that job I would have ended up in a public school because my parents could not afford the tuition to the Catholic school.
After the Marines I got a part time job at UPS while going to college. I moved up through the ranks and now I am an executive for UPS Airlines. I learned a few leadership lessons while working at Hardees that I still draw upon today.
The store manager was Jerry Costin – not sure of the spelling of his last name.
When I started in 1970 there were two locations in Louisville - the South Third St location that I worked at and the store on Poplar Level Road. There were a few times the folks from the Third St location would work the Poplar Level store because one of the employee was getting married or they were having a Christmas party. There were more than a few times we would help each other out when stock ran low. I drove over to the Poplar Level store a few times to pick up some cups or napkins because we had run out. One of those trips was on a Sunday morning. One the way back I received my first speeding ticket!
I attached a picture that is a blow up of the menu. It is a little easier to read the menu. A Big Scott was 55 cents !
I know I have more pictures. When I find them I will send them along.
Patrick O'Leary
The group shot … the guy in the back row on the left was the store manager. He has dark hair and a mustache.
Below - When Hardees took over they just changed the signs. It was the same building with new signs. If you look in the background of the attached picture you will see the sign. All they did was put Hardees on top of the sign.
Look above the heads of the people. I am pretty sure that was the Sandy’s tiles! - Pat O'Leary
09/16/2010 ...I found another picture of the Sandy’s on South Third St in Louisville, KY. - Patrick O'Leary
Louisville Kentucky was another stronghold for Sandy's. There were three locations; 1007 W. Broadway, 5009 S. Third St. and 1420 Poplar Level Rd.
The 1968 Sandy's locations list shows one of these locations as a possible 1967 opening. The 1973 list shows Poplar Level Road as Sandy's #317 and 3rd Street as #318 which points to a 1973 opening. Perhaps these locations were rebuilt as the new mini or maxi Sandy's restaurants as some locations were switching to the new buildout at this time and maybe they were renumbered into the 300 range at that time.
Robby Delius shows yet another scenario by providing both the 1965 and 1969 city directory listings for Louisville which shows Poplar Level and S. Third Street as being in existence in 1965 as well as 1969!
1007 W. Broadway is not listed in the directories and is shown as a potential Sandy's on the 1973 list so it most likely opened as a Hardees in 1973 or 1974.
Special thanks to Rob Delius for his outstanding research!
If you have any memorabilia, pictures or stories of Sandy's in Louisville, Kentucky or elsewhere, please email me!
