Allen's

Allen's (est. 1955) is a hamburger joint and nightclub originally in the Normaltown neighborhood of Athens, Georgia, now located at the corner of Hawthorne and Oglethorpe Avenues.

Contents

History

Allen's was opened by Allen Saine. Saine later sold the business to Athens businessman Billy Slaughter. Slaughter hired Danny Self to run the business and eventually sold it to Self while keeping the real estate. Johnny Fapper was also involved.

Allen's gots its "World Famous" nickname because of its proximity to the Navy Supply School. The student officers frequented Allen's.[1] They wear Allen's T-Shirts in ports all over the world.

In 2002, Self died and Slaughter ended up with the business eventually closing it in 2004 and later demolishing the building. In 2007, two University of Georgia alumni (Mark Hammond and Hilt Moree, III) acquired the rights to Allen's from Slaughter and re-opened it in a new location with much of the original memorabilia, recipes, and live music. It is across the street from the Athens YMCA location but still on the edge of Normaltown. There are various framed memorabilia on the walls.[2]

Notable patrons and employees

Zell Miller worked there while attending the University of Georgia before going on to become a Governor and later a U.S. Senator.

Notable patrons of Allen's include the late writer Lewis Grizzard professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, lead guitarist/singer John Bell of Athens band Widespread Panic and R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe.

References

  1. ^ Allen's
  2. ^ Allen's World Famous Hamburgers Website

External material