That's the drive-in restaurant at 1111 Central Ave. in Great Falls that was once known as Sandy's.
Back in the '60s, Sandy's sold a bag of hamburgers for a dollar.
"We still have the bag of hamburgers, but they're no longer a buck," said Cathy Field, general manager of Zandy's, with a chuckle.
The restaurant still does offer hamburgers for a low price — 55 cents — or cheeseburgers for 70 cents, in addition to pricier fare.
In the 1960s, Sandy's was a hamburger chain with restaurants scattered across the country.
While McDonalds thrived, Sandy's broke up in the 1970s as it merged with the Hardee's chain.
Sandy's might have become only a memory, except for a few people who have become unofficial Sandy's historians, such as Rich Birley of East Moline, Ill. Remnants of the Sandy's chain include restaurants that changed the name slightly and kept the building, such as Zandy's in Great Falls.
Birley got interested in Sandy's lore because he used to eat with his family once a week at the East Moline Sandy's as a kid.
"Sandy's food was terrific and the neon sign and building were mesmerizing," Birley recalled.
At one time, more than 300 Sandy's restaurants dotted the country, sporting neon signs with a Sandy's Scottish dancing girl on the top and a triangular portion that read, "Hamburgers 15 cents".
A few Sandy's restaurants even popped up in Belgium, and one in Canada.
Billings had two Sandy's restaurants, and Great Falls had one, the location now called Zandy's. Great Falls had the 14th Sandy's restaurant, making it one of the earliest in the chain to open, about 45 years ago.
Sandy's was born after its founders wanted to open several McDonald's restaurants, but Ray Kroc allegedly backed out of the package deal, Birley related. The founders got mad and launched Sandy's instead.
According to Birley, the Kewanee, Ill.-based Sandy's was not as well financed as McDonald's, and finally was forced to merge with Hardee's in the 1970s. When Sandy's president, Brick Lundberg, took ill and died, Hardee's took over full control, and Sandy's was history.
Birley recently was excited to learn that much of the original Sandy's remains in Great Falls, including the original sign, although the dancing girl on the top is missing.
Field said Zandy's disaffiliated with Sandy's in the 1970s.
Walt Simpson and his family owned Sandy's and later Zandy's for 35 years, until they sold it in 2000. The Simpsons bought Sandy's from the original owners four years after it opened in the Electric City.
Simpson said he had to take the dancing girl off the sign because it was a symbol of the chain.
He also wanted to make a simple change.
"I went down the alphabet and found out what would work the best," Simpson recalled. He stopped at Z.
The Simpsons put a big spinning Z atop the sign with neon lights. The Z was taken down after the 2000 sale.
Birley thinks Great Falls may have the only remaining original Sandy's sign. Simpson said the sign company kept the dancing girl, but he doubts she's still around.
Field said Zandy's still has an original Sandy's cup, in less than perfect condition.
Many customers remember the original Sandy's in Great Falls, and mention that while stopping in for burgers and those original hand-cut french fries.
"That's a daily given," Field said.
If you have any memories about going to Sandy's in Great Falls, you're welcome to send an e-mail to Birley at sandyshamburgers@yahoo.com. Your memories could end up posted on the Internet. Photos of the old Sandy's in Great Falls are welcome, too.
For more about Sandy's, visit Birley's Web site at: www.captainerniesshowboat.com/sandys.
Tribune Staff Writer Richard Ecke writes a weekly column on city life. Reach him by e-mail at recke@greatfal.gannett.com, or at 406-791-1467 or 800-438-6600.
