Walking in the front door of Wally’s Restaurant on McCallie Avenue is like walking through the door of a time machine to the past.
There’s counter seating, comfy booths, larger tables with real plates and silverware, coffee served in heavy-duty white porcelain mugs, waitresses writing down orders by hand on little pads and then hanging them in the kitchen window on a stainless-steel wheel, even a glass-fronted cooler behind the counter filled with slices of pie.
And there’s a reason: because Wally’s is nostalgia brought to delicious life and the epitome of the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
It all started on May 10 in 1937 when a Wally Alexander opened Wally's Drive In on McCallie Avenue, right next door to the current location of the restaurant. A classic drive-in, carhops wore roller skates and customers could get a burger, fries, and a shake for just 85 cents. Of course, when taking inflation into account, that meal would cost nearly $18.00, so this is one of those times when modern prices are quite a bit more affordable than “back in the day”.
But one thing hasn’t changed: quality and service. Wally’s Drive In quickly became a city staple because of their consistency in good food and good service. And even when it changed to a sit-down style restaurant in the early ‘70s, with an expected expansion of the menu to a classic “meat and three” serving homecooked meats and vegetables as well as a full breakfast menu, quality and service never changed.
In 1975 Tony Kennedy purchased Wally’s Restaurant and helped to make it the weekday breakfast and lunch destination for all of Chattanooga, as well as the Saturday morning breakfast destination for families and friends. With a good location near medical offices and other businesses, along with plenty of free parking, Wally’s to this day is as popular as it has ever been. And current owner/operator Gary Meadows, who started working at Wally’s when he was just a teenager, doesn’t see any reason to change “what ain’t broke”.
“We’re about as old school as you can get,” he says during a typical morning rush. “We have a full menu of breakfast: pancakes, waffles, omelets, we do a really good breakfast special, and the best grits in town.”
They also serve lunch during the week, with daily specials along with soups, salads, steaks, sandwiches, and the classic American hot dog. And let’s not forget the pies. Pecan, lemon, apples, coconut, and chocolate, served as a slice or an entire pie, have been a Wally’s staple for decades.
They also understand that ‘lunch hour’ never means the whole hour, and weekday breakfast needs to be fast enough to get you to work on time. So when it matters, they will get you in and out quick. And when it doesn’t matter, they are just fine with you taking your time to enjoy breakfast or lunch with your friends , family or just by yourself.
But let’s say you don’t have time to swing by a great burger and fries. Don’t worry, Wally’s can cater. And you might be surprised as to how many people they can accommodate.
“We can do catering to 10-15 people on up to 2,000 people,” Meadows says. So if you have a business meeting, a church function, or need to throw a big party, Wally’s can handle all your catering needs. With good food and friendly service.
If you’ve been by before, you know most (if not all) of what we’re talking about. If you haven’t been by before, or it’s just been a while, stop by today and see why Wally’s Restaurant has stood the test of time and is still going strong to this day.
Open Monday through Friday from 6am to 3pm, and Saturday (breakfast only) from 7am to Noon. Easy to find at 1600 McCallie Avenue, you can learn more online at www.wallysrest.com