Krystal (restaurant) - Current Business

Current Business

Krystal restaurants, both company-owned and franchised, operate in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. There is also a single Krystal in Bristol, Virginia (which lies on the Tennessee-Virginia border), one in West Memphis, Arkansas (directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis), and one in Murphy, North Carolina. Krystal is often compared to the similar Midwest restaurant chain White Castle, but other than in the Bowling Green, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee markets, the two restaurants' market areas do not overlap.

Krystal still maintains corporate headquarters in Chattanooga and has been owned by Argonne Capital Group since early 2012. Previously, Port Royal Holdings, Inc. owned the chain from 1997-2012, expanding the chain to a peak of over 420 locations in 11 states in 2002, before downsizing and closing dozens of locations. Ten new locations were added in 2011.

In the late 1990s, Krystal emerged from a bankruptcy proceeding and sale of assets that placed majority ownership outside the heirs of the founding families. Krystal's period of structural change and uncertainty in the late 1990s has led to a successfully reborn restaurant chain with high levels of reported customer satisfaction and an evolving menu.

Krystal's product line centers on a square hamburger patty slider with a steamed bun called a "Krystal". Small hot dogs called "pups" are also featured menu items. More recently, the chain expanded its menu to include the "Big Angus Burger," a full-size hamburger made of 100% Angus beef.

Krystal is known for a diverse breakfast menu, which includes a made-to-order country breakfast, meat and egg sandwiches, and other items. One particularly popular breakfast item is the Scrambler, which includes a layered stack of scrambled eggs, sausage, grits, and cheese served in a styrofoam cup. Other variations of the Scrambler also feature pancakes, sausage gravy, or southwestern-style spices.

In 1998, Krystal introduced the Krystal Chik, a fried chicken breast filet slider served on the signature steamed square bun. Krystal Chiks remain popular, along with other chicken and salad items. Krystal continues to focus on their core menu products but continues to redesign and upgrade their stores to appeal to a mobile and multi-tasking audience.

Krystal is one of the growing number of fast food restaurant chains offering free wireless internet access to customers with Wi-Fi compatible devices. Known as "The Krystal HotSpot", the service is nearly universally available at Krystal locations offering inside seating. The chain is also testing a prototype for a drive-in that features individual television monitors for ordering and watching television (audio is accessed via car stereo), and indoor and outdoor seating areas with multiple big-screen television monitors and free digital jukeboxes.

Krystals remain enormously popular in the South, especially in their East Tennessee "backyard". Fans are known to drive great distances to get a Krystal or pine for them when they're out of reach. Longtime fans can show new patrons how to combine the boxes that Krystals come in to make Krystal houses. Krystal is a perennial favorite with college students, in part due to most (but not all) Krystal restaurants being open 24/7.

Currently Krystal owns or franchises a total of 360 restaurants in about a dozen southern states.