My memories are of the 70's and 80's variety but they definitely have their chain roots dating back decades before that. Growing up in Columbus, GA, Krystal Hamburgers (the Southern, and superior IMHO, counterpart to White Castle) was my favorite hamburger place with their little square sliders for $.25 each ... they had good fried chicken as well but they stopped selling that in the late 80's. Nowadays the Krystal burger sells for around $.75 but they never really took off west of the Mississippi so I have to get my fix whenever I travel for business.
The Varsity in Columbus (no relation to the Atlanta version) was an old-school carhop place and a blast for a little kid to visit. But above all others in Columbus is a working drugstore called Dinglewood Pharmacy where they have a lunch counter dating back to the 30's ... their claim-to-fame is something called a Scrambled Dog, a hot dog totally smothered in homemade chili served in an elongated bowl, and topped with oyster crackers and your choice of condiments; to this day, a trip back to Columbus isn't complete until I fight through the droves of AFLAC employees from their headquarters across the street and claim a seat at the lunch counter. Two wieners, mustard, extra crackers, hold the onions and cheese ... that is my childhood in a single bite.
Down in Panama City, FL where we moved when I was 10, there were a number of old drive-in places like the Tally-Ho that had amazing hamburgers, fried chicken, and Cuban sandwiches. I was never partial to the major chains (other than Chick-Fil-A) but I have a soft spot for those old drive-in spots and even greasy spoon diners.
Nowadays, I eschew the more popular places in favor of some local Houston vintage fast food; over near my campus in Baytown is one of the last outposts of a 1960's mini-chain called Someburger ... handcut fries, hand dipped shakes, and decent burgers. Wood paneling on the walls, yellowed framed newspaper clippings dating back forty years ... it's definitely a nostalgia moment grabbing a quick lunch in places like that. Prince's (previously mentioned) is a nice little time warp as well, and there are few other places around the Houston area that have roots dating back to the 40's.
