Sandy's in Quincy, Illinois was Sandy's number three. It opened in April of 1959. Quincy was one of what was supposed to be four Sandy's. The game plan was to have one Sandy's for each of the four founders to support their families. Instead, Sandy's became a huge success and began spreading throughout the midwest. Quincy was to be the fourth Sandy's to open but someone delayed the arrival of the classic Sandy's wooden beams to Ted Vlahos, franchisee owner of the Moline location thus making Quincy the number three location to open while being Sandy's number four. Its twin, Sandy's Quincy #2 was Sandy's number ten which most likely opened in 1960.
Sandy's was famous for promotions and St. Patricks Day was no exception. In this picture, auctioned in February 2005 by fh5555 on ebay, a man in a Scottish suit is entertaining children on O'Sandy's St. Patrick's Day Fun Tuesday in the Quincy parking lot!
The original auction took place in September of 2004 by Cornerstone Auction which was the sale of the estate of Bernie Willer who was the owner of Sandy's in Quincy.
Mr. and Mrs. Willer were leaders in the Quincy community and were known to give to those who were in need. They were supporters of and gave many significant contributions and years of service to Quincy Notre Dame High School.
Everyone who attended Quincy High School in the 1960's and 70's remembers Sandy's well. Here are memories taken from the Quincy High School alumni page
Submitted by Tom Milligan - 1963
When I attended QHS I used to go to a place on 12th and Jefferson called Sandy's. They also had a place near 30th and Broadway. You couldn't beat their hamburgers. I get hamburgers from McDonalds today and they taste like a greaseball compared to Sandy's. This was back in the late 50's early 60's.
Submitted by Rich Looten
The Sandy's Restaurants were bought out by Hardees when I was an employee there during high school.Their best sandwich was the Hi-Lo... a double burger who's slogan was " ...with the cheese in the middle and the pickle on top". An awesome burger. Oh, and Sandy's had fantastic uniforms too; plaid ascots and tunics over white shirts. Ah, those were the days.
Submitted by Linda (Guenther) Bergeron (1965)
What I do remember is that as kids we would always go to Sandy's (on the north side of Broadway, around 30th or so) to get burgers, then to McDonald's (on the south side of Broadway, either near or in the shopping center) to get fries because my mom swore they were crispier! I do distinctly remember two separate places during the 60's when I was in high school. We would drive around "the route" (remember that?) on a weekend night, then meet at Sandy's parking lot and hang out.
Submitted by Rose Coleman Blakeley (1978)
I'm glad some one else knows, McDonalds was NEVER "Sandy's". Hardees, on 30th and Broadway, is where "Sandy's" once was. Their dining tables area was long. From the counter to the tables it was set up like a letter "T". Next door to it was a soft ice cream store. Where you got your ice cream to go as there were no tables. Next to that was a furniture store on the corner. I know for sure because I lived on the street behind "Sandy's" . Those were the good old Days!
Local Quincy residents were not the only ones who made Sandy's their favorite place to eat at. Don Palmer now lives in Florida but he used to live in Hannibal, Missouri which is just south of Quincy, Illinois. Like many others in the area, he recalls a common experience to many, driving to Quincy to eat at Sandy's before Hannibal's own Sandy's opened sometime between 1969 and 1971!
On Saturday nite in Hannibal, Mo. our group would chip in for gas and drive to Sandy's in Quincy. Sandy's, beyond yummy! Time goes bye.
If you have any memorabilia, pictures or stories of Sandy's in Quincy, Illinois, the Quad Cities or elsewhere, please email me!