Red’s Giant Hamburg

Another Missouri First; The Drive-Thru Restaurant!

There are some restaurants in Missouri where you “must” go if you want to consider yourself a well-rounded Missourian (and I mean well-rounded in a couple of ways!) Names like Lambert’s Café, Ted Drewes, Shakespeare’s Pizza, Top of the Rock, Arthur Bryant’s BBQ, and Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill are just a few places on that list. But if you haven’t checked Red’s Giant Hamburg off your list yet, you are missing some tasty food, a great time, and some amazing Missouri history all rolled up into one place.

How Red’s began:

Red’s Giant Hamburg opened back in 1947 along Route 66 and became a legendary stop along the Mother Road. The story all started with a man named Sheldon Chaney, who went by the name of Red. He came to the Springfield area not long after World War II and needed to find work to support he and his new wife. So Red bought a Sinclair gas station along Route 66 on the western edge of Springfield.

Keep in mind the “western edge” of Springfield back then is now along West College Street, east of Kansas Expressway. There were also a few cabins on the property that weary travelers could rent for the night. They added a small café a few years later. But running a small motel, a café, and a gas station took its toll on Red and his family. So he decided that a bigger restaurant was a better idea for both revenue and time.

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The Hamburg Drive-Thru:

Red and his wife also owned a farm nearby where they raised some cattle, so the idea for a hamburger restaurant seemed the obvious choice. He also knew that people driving across the country with their whole family in the car didn’t want to get everybody out for a long sit-down meal. That’s how he came up with the idea of handing the food to travelers through a window so they could keep on moving. And thus, the world’s first drive-thru window. (Note: some claim it was Jack in the Box in California)

The Sign:

So why the name, Hamburg? It wasn’t the original plan, but it turned out to be great marketing. Red was planning to put up a sign along the highway. However, overhead powerlines meant the sign had to be shorter than he wanted. Instead of making the letters smaller, which would be hard to see for drivers, he decided to just make the word shorter. So “Hamburger” became “Hamburg.” Combine that with the giant sandwiches he was making, and you have Red’s Giant Hamburg.

Red and his wife Julia became a friendly face for travelers to see for the next few decades until they retired and closed in 1984. The restaurant was later torn down in the late 1990’s.

Red’s Rebirth:

Restaurateur David Campbell decided it was time to bring back Red’s in 2019. He contacted Julia Chaney, Red’s widow, about it. She was on board with the idea and agreed to sell him the rights to the name. So Red’s Giant Hamburg was back.

Campbell had to build it in a different location but kept the spirit of the restaurant as true to the original as possible. A historical marker is near the original spot where the Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park now stands. The new Red’s is a couple of miles away on West Sunshine. But as soon as you walk in the door and hear the music, you are immediately taken back in time 50 years.