Lendy's Web Page 2

Welcome to the Lendy's Web Page, part 2.

Featuring Salem and Roanoke Va.'s most FAMOUS restaurant chain.

Lendy's WAS Roanoke, at least in the late fifties and sixties.

A classic Drive-In restaurant. Call stations, curb service, rooftop D.J.'s. There were TeleTrays at each parking space.

You sat in the comfort of your own car, talking to friends, listening to the radio, waiting for your order. It might be a Buddy Boy. A double decker hamburger with cheese, lettuce, pickle and its own special tangy sauce.

Along with that you might have coming an order of onion rings. Not those poseurs made of breaded minced onion, but real sliced fresh onions fried in a light batter.

Maybe your date would be waiting on her Longfella. A sandwich stacked with Hawaiian ham, lettuce, tomatoes, with its own special sauce served on a freshly baked Grecian roll.

Drinks? How about a thick chocolate or strawberry milkshake or maybe a Lime Freeze. After all that, if you had room, how about a little dessert maybe? A thick slice of fresh Pecan Pie. No wait. Make that a slice of that Famous Lendy's Strawberry Pie. With lots of whipped cream.

Here's the Boxley Hills (Williamson Rd.) Yoda's / Lendy's building today. This Lendy's began life as a Dandy's*, then after a year became the second Yoda's location. The front of this building was originally all glass, and had a dual row of canopies to the right.

Here at the Lendy's Web Page, we have been searching for a photo of this location as it appeared during its days as a Lendy's. After ten years, we still have no photos available of that time. If you have any photos showing this Lendy's, please consider loaning them for use on this site. Contact info is on page seven.

*See Dandy's ad on page 6

Yoda's was founded by Jack Young, who was Leonard Goldstein's brother in law, and Bill Schroeder.

To Leonard Goldstein's surprise, Jack Young opened the first Yoda's on East Main St. in Salem shortly after Leonard had opened his Shoney's on Apperson Dr. The fact that Leonard would now have competition from another restaurant licensed to sell Big Boys, and that it would be operated by his own brother-in-law created considerable friction within the family for quite some time. A visit from Leonard & the Colonel at Jack's home, instigated by Colonel Sanders, eventually led to a reconciliation, and Yoda's merged with Lendy's.

Read "Under the canopy...", a 1984 Roanoke Times feature written by Randy Walker.

UNDER THE CANOPY

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This was the Grand Opening of the Brambleton Avenue Lendy's in the summer of 1969. One of the last Lendy's built, the style was influenced by changes in Kentucky Fried Chicken's franchise policy.

The "Buddy Boy" statue in front of this location mysteriously disappeared shortly after it opened, but was later found by one of the employees in the woods nearby.

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This was the Melrose Ave. Lendy's "take home" shoppe. This building no longer stands, but guess what does?

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This was the Lendy's Downtown Coffee House.

A great place to go after watching a James Bond movie at the Jefferson Theater. If you're just having a Coke, please sit at the counter.

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This was the Radford Lendy's, under construction and completed (1969). Just down the road from then Radford College. Yep, it had a drive-in canopy.

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This was the Blacksburg Lendy's, located at Gables Shopping Center. It served Virginia Tech and Blacksburg, and had a large canopied / 'TeleTray' equipped drive-in area in back. Managed by "The world's worst whistler - Don Walk", the Blackburg Lendys also had a secret. Click HERE to find out what it was.