WS Stuckey, Restaurant Founder
I was a kid when my parents took my sister and me on a cross country roadtrip. My dad ‘jenga’d’ all the stuff we could possibly need into a tiny Mazda GLC, Japan’s version of a Chevrolet Chevette. We had suitcases and a beat up green Coleman cooler full of chip-chopped ham, a jar of mayo, a bottle of mustard, bread, cans of pop, and ice. Here comes the adventure!
I won’t bore you with details of photo ops, hotels, rest stops, and all the touristy things - the Petrified Forest was a bit of a disappointment but the Grand Canyon and the elevator ride to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis as freaking awesome.
In the 1970s the expression “stuck-up” seemed to be in the air. Scooting across the U.S. my sister and I became familiar with a roadside restaurant chain called Stuckey’s. We may have stopped in one. How much chip-chopped ham can you eat? Every time we saw the sign for one of the restaurants we shouted, “Stuck-up-ey’s!” Oh man, we laughed every time. My parents rolled their eyes every time.
The chain was founded by Williamson Sylvester “W.S.” Stuckey, Sr. He started out selling pecans. Then, he opened a shop to sell pecans, sugar cane juice, syrup, homemade quilts, and cherry cider. After World War II he franchised his business. Later he gave out thousands of free pecan trees to aspiring young pecan farmers through the local 4-H.
I don’t know how many Stuckey’s are still around. But the next time I see one, you guessed it. OMG, I’m laughing.
Source, stuckeys.com
