Special thanks to Rich Duwe for the scan of the ad from the 1971 Richfield High School Yearbook.
Sandy's fan Rich Duwe not only remembers Sandy's in Waco, Texas... he worked there!
I just wanted to let you know that I'm sitting here at work daydreaming about eating a Big Scot after finding a link to your site. Someone there started a thread about "What was your favorite (but now defunct) restaurant?" and sure enough, Sandy's came up in the conversation. It just so happens that I worked at the Sandy's in Waco, TX back around 1972, and I still haven't forgotten the experiences I had there--both good and bad. While I don't have any pictures at the moment, I will be more than happy to take a few shots of the building the next time I'm in Waco. The Sandy's there was located on Bosque Blvd across from the Lions Park and Richfield High School. It was a used car lot the last time I drove past there, though who knows what it might be now?
I was beginning to think that Sandy's had all
but been forgotten until I located your website.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to keep it
online.
Where do I begin? First of all, I have an e-mail in
to the reference librarian at the Waco Public Library
to get you an address and phone number for the Waco
store from the city directory. Hopefully, I'll get a
response today. You were right on the mark about the
Waco Sandy's opening in the spring or summer of 1967,
as I remember watching the store being built, as well
as eating there when it first opened. I also checked
Google Earth this morning, and from what I can tell,
the building is still there.
I started working at the Waco Sandy's around January
of 1972. Two of my friends, Lee Mitchell and Jim
Munson, were already working there, and they
introduced me to Stuart Jochimsen, the store manager.
Stu, as he was called, was in his early 30's and like
to think of himself as a mentor to the guys working
there. A position opened on the grill not long after
that, so I immediately stopped by with an application
in hand and told Stu I was the man for the job.
It's hard to believe, but I still remember the names
of all the crew members on my shift: Besides Stu,
there was Bobby Unger, the assistant manager; Bobby's
wife, Dottie, and a girl named Jackie
Sheppard who I could swear posed for the picture of
Sandy
that you saw on all the Sandy's ads and promotional
material at that time. The resemblance was
incredible. Jackie also drove a cherry 1956 Chevrolet
that was in near factory perfect condition.
I worked at the Waco store until around October of
1972 when I went in the Air Force. At that time,
there was nothing in the rumor mill about the store
being closed or sold to Hardees. However, while in
Air Force technical training, I met a guy who had
worked at the Sandy's in Plano, TX, and he told me
that the manager of the Waco store had been
transferred to Plano, and the Waco store had been
closed. Sure enough, I came home on leave in July of
1973, and the Sandy's there on Bosque Blvd. had been
converted into a "no-name" burger joint. I suspect it
was partly due to the fact that both McDonald's and
Burger King rolled into town around that time and
setup stores facing each other each on opposite sides
of the road about two miles from Sandy's.
The next time I came home, the burger joint was gone,
and it was now a used car lot. It continued to be a
used car lot for many, many years until the last time
I was in town, when I noticed the lot was gone and the
building was vacant. Hopefully, I can convince my
mother to swing by with her camera and take a few
pictures of the building the next time she's in Waco,
as I'm not sure how long it will be before I'm back in
town.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.
It's hard to believe it's been 35 years, and yet a lot
of what I learned working at Sandy's is still with me.
Yea, there was the occasional horseplay with the
ketchup and mustard guns, but I also remember a lot of
nights spent polishing stainless steel, a can of Ajax
in one hand and a towel in the other. If nothing
else, working at Sandy's taught me the value of hard
work and how to be a team player.
Thanks again for your hard work and effort in
maintaining the site. The pictures are fantastic! It
was great seeing the inside of a Sandy's once again.
It just so happens that I have a 1971 Richfield H.S.
yearbook stashed away somewhere, so I'll dig it out of
the closet and see if Sandy's bought any advertising
that year. If so, I'll be sure to scan it for you.
Yes, the stores may be gone, but the food will live on
in my memory forever. The two things that stand out
for me are the pies and the Big Scot. I still dream
about the Big Scot :) Also, I did a Google search
yesterday on "Stuart Jochimsen" and got a hit for
someone by that name living in Plano, TX. I wonder if
it's my old boss?
Oh,and thanks for setting up my very own Sandy's web
page! I always knew I'd have my 15 minutes of fame. I
just never knew it would be for flipping burgers at
Sandy's in "Wacko", TX. It'll also be a great place to
showcase all the Sandy's stuff I'm sure I'll be buying
on eBay in the near future!
Rich also contacted the local library and found out the listings in the city directory. The Sandy's listings were as follows:
* Sandy's Drive In 4104 Bosque Blvd (1968
City Directory)
* Sandy's of Waco, Inc. 4112 Bosque Blvd.
254-752-5171 (1968 & 1969 Waco Telephone Directory)
* Sandy's of Waco, Inc. 4112 Bosque Blvd.
254-776-1922 (1971-72 Waco Telephone Directory)
I finally got down to Waco over the Memorial Day weekend this past month, and I'm sorry to tell you that the Waco Sandy's is no more. The building had been bulldozed, the lot paved over and in it's place there's now a self-service car wash. I only wish now that I'd gotten down there sooner and took a few pictures before it was gone.
Keep up the good work!
If you have any memorabilia, pictures or stories of Sandy's in Waco, Texas or elsewhere, please email me!
06/30/2010 ... I had hoped to reply eventually with some good news, but unfortunately, that's not the case.
Rich D.