Atlanta Week: What’ll Ya Have?

Not to be outdone by the World’s Largest Aquarium, The Varsity has a pretty big title of its own: world’s largest drive-in. Founded in 1928, The Varsity — known for its catchphrase “what’ll ya have?” — can accommodate 600-plus cars and more than 800 people inside. Two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2,500 pounds of potatoes, 5,000 fried pies, and 300 gallons of chili are made from scratch daily.

I’ve heard about this place for years from a client whose magazine I manage, so I was pretty excited to finally check it out in person. It didn’t disappoint. And if it had, it would’ve been a long-awaited disappointment, because there were, no joke, at least 100 people in line on a random weekday night. The fare is what you’d expect: hot dogs, hamburgers, milkshakes, fries, onion rings, chicken fingers, etc. I went for a grilled cheese sandwich and French fries, which were, as the French say (despite the fact that French fries aren’t French), delicieux. I topped it off with a Frosted Orange, which hit the spot after an entire summer day without fluids (don’t try this at home). It was like drinking orange sherbet, and it was wonderful.

The food was all super reasonably priced and didn’t come in ginormous portions, two things I really appreciate. If you go at a peak time, be willing to wait a bit, and remember, this is drive-in food, not haute cuisine — and that’s the fun of it.