436 SE 2nd St Gainesville, FL 32601 Couple blocks east of Main Street, according to the map. I don't remember it either.
On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 11:30 AM, Jay Cicone <jay.cic...@raymondjames.com>wrote: > Me neither? Possible next to Wise’s pharmacy?? > > > > *From:* gatortalk@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatort...@googlegroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *Jerry Belloit > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 02, 2010 11:09 AM > *To:* gatortalk@googlegroups.com > *Subject:* [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] After 82 Years, Gainesville Burger > Joint is Gone with a Gulp > > > > I hate to admit it, but I don’t remember this place. Where was it? > > > > Jerry > > > > *From:* gatorn...@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatorn...@googlegroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *Helen Huntley > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 02, 2010 10:19 AM > *To:* gatorn...@googlegroups.com > *Subject:* [gatornews] After 82 Years, Gainesville Burger Joint is Gone > with a Gulp > > > > For those who remember Louis' Lunch > > > After 82 years, Gainesville burger joint is gone with a gulp > > By Jeff Klinkenberg <http://www.tampabay.com/writers/jeff-klinkenberg>, > Times Staff Writer > In Print: Tuesday, November 2, 2010 > ------------------------------ > > Louis Pennisi founded what the family says was the state’s first burger > joint in 1928, 12 years before McDonald’s launched. > > [image: Louis Pennisi founded what the family says was the state’s first > burger joint in 1928, 12 years before McDonald’s launched.] > > [Special to the Times] > > As Tommy Pennisi grilled his last burger, hovering above the dilapidated > stove was surely the ghost of his father, Louis, who founded what the family > believes was the state's first hamburger joint in 1928. > > "One Louis burger!" shouted waitress Emily Cheves, Tommy's daughter, > jotting the order on cardboard. Tommy didn't glance up. He just threw a > patty on the grill for the very last time. > > "I hate that I have to close," said Tommy, 75. "But this recession has > killed me." > > If only every day had been like the last one, when the ancient white > building on Louis Pennisi Street was packed with customers wanting burgers, > fries and milk shakes. Every rickety table and every stool along the ancient > counter was taken, and as the phone rang with order after order, another car > drove up to the takeout window. Louis' Lunch was, among other things, the > first known drive-through in the university town. > > "I love this place," said Margaret Kennard. "My momma and daddy started > bringing me here in the 1940s. Now I'm 69. I've been coming here at least > twice a month all my life. I'm not a McDonald's person so I'm not sure what > I'm going to do." > > Louis' Lunch was 12 when the first McDonald's Restaurant opened in > California in 1940. In a sleepy Florida town, in a tin-roofed building > shaded by oaks, Louis practiced his version of slow food. Born in Sicily in > 1896, he immigrated to the United States in 1911 and tried construction, > orange picking and ice-cream mongering before using his mother's meatball > recipe for his unusual hamburgers. > > Louis, whose formal education consisted of exactly three days in school, > got by on elbow grease. "I worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for 20 > years," he once said. "I never went outside, never went to a picture show." > > When he was 97, he could still be found behind the grill in his white apron > and paper hat. In 1993, his son Freddie was shot dead in a restaurant > robbery. Louis, long a widower, went on to help at the eatery until his > death at age 106. His photo hangs next to the old menus and knickknacks, > calendars and rusting Coke signs. > > In segregated Florida, Louis served black folks in a back room that later > became a museum for photos of military vets who had been his customers. In > integrated Florida, he served all comers at his ketchup-smeared counter. > They included working folks in overalls, generations of students, and at > least one future governor, Fuller Warren. Louis sold burgers for a nickel, > then a dime, then three for a quarter. The other day, they cost $1.90 plain, > $2 dressed with tomatoes, lettuce and onions. > > "Nothing quite like them," explained Terry Cake, 43. Years ago, when he was > a student in Colorado, his best friends showed up with a treat. They > celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with burgers instead of turkey. "Louis > burgers," Cake said on Saturday, "tasted like home." > > Tommy Pennisi, who began working at his father's side six decades ago, ate > a burger a day. "No health problems at all," he said. "Except for my > hearing, which didn't have anything to do with hamburgers." > > He can still hear well enough to know when the cash register is ringing, > but lately it has been quiet. The most seasoned customers got too old to > drive or passed away. When jobs started disappearing a few years ago, > middle-aged customers spent their money elsewhere. Younger customers seem to > prefer the fast-food chains. A downtown construction project that resulted > in closed streets was the final blow. > > On Saturday afternoon, Tommy flipped the last burger onto the last bun. His > daughter carried the last plate to Casey Hamilton, who looked down at his > prize with delight and sadness. An Alachua County sheriff's deputy, he began > eating Louis burgers when he was a boy four decades ago. "My mom would bring > me here after doctors' appointments as a reward for when I didn't cry," he > said. > > He took a big bite, and then another, until the last Louis burger was gone. > > *Jeff Klinkenberg can be reached at kl...@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8727.* > > > > > > > > http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/after-82-years-gainesville-burger-joint-is-gone-with-a-gulp/1131598 > -- > > Helen Huntley > > (727) 823-3801 > > www.helenhuntley.com > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > -- Helen Huntley (727) 823-3801 www.helenhuntley.com -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
