Steve Bloecher had the distinction of being one of the some 240 managers who worked for Sandy's at the time of the switch-over to Hardees. After his successful run at Dixon, Illinois Sandy's as the enforcer, he was promoted to Mattoon, Illinois.
Mattoon was location # 136 and opened sometime in late 1967 or perhaps early 1968. It was such a success that a sister location was opened some twenty miles away in Charleston, Illinois.
In 1972, Mattoon, like most other Sandy's ran an advertisement announcing the "Deluxe Sandee" and to "Swing down to Sandy's". The Deluxe Sandee was a play on Hardees signature burger "Deluxe Huskee". Swing down to Sandy's was a version of "Hurry on down to Hardees". It was the beginning of the end.
All Sandy's had to be fitted with charbroiler equipment so the Deluxe Sandee would have had Sandy's very own taste since they were not yet installed. If you click on the Columbia, Missouri Sandy's page, you can make out the words "Sandee Junior" as well as "Deluxe Sandee" at the top right. Apparently the Sandee Junior was a smaller version. Interestlingly, the Big Scot was still on the board as well!
The Mattoon advertisement announces Mr. Bloecher as your host. It was only a matter of time before the end of Sandy's in Mattoon as well as most other locations.
I was night manager with Bill Lemon in Dixon, IL and manager in Mattoon, IL just before Hardees took over. In Mattoon we would have 200 kids from the school up the street come in for lunch daily. I remember "running 48" on a regular basis.
I worked in Dixon at the older store. I worked a split shift and was hired (because of my size - 6'7" & 230#) to be night manager and to help combat problems on the lot at night, especially with drugs. Bill Lemon, the manager, was almost as tall as I was and weighed nearly 300 pounds. Needless to say, the authority we displayed when there was a problem (seldom) was never challenged!
If I remember right, the Hardees in Mattoon burned down and was replaced by the new building (Steve is correct, the new Hardees building bears no trace of Sandy's). This is the NP ad from Mattoon. I had a good bunch of kids that worked for me there. Three girls I remember especially, except I don't remember names, only the nicknames. Purple was one gal, I think her last name was Yardly. She loved the color purple and most everything she owned was purple. We had a couple of other girls with nicknames as well. Those three were my favorites and all were very sweet kids and lots of fun. They sent me graduation pictures after I left and one or two of them came and visited me!
Thank you for the site, it was a walk down memory lane.
Steve Bloecher
If you have any memorabilia, pictures or stories of Sandy's in Mattoon, Illinois or elsewhere, please email me!