I lived in Memphis years ago and had the good luck of having a friend take me to the original. I was skeptical at first but after taking the first bite, I fell in love with their burgers. The double/double was the best I have ever had.
I grew up in Memphis and was introduced to Dyer's while in college back in the late 70's. Since serious academia was hand in hand with prolific dopesmoking, a Dyer's visit could take the edge off the munchies like nothing else (except maybe a throbbing Broadway Pizza). It was in the tiny shack on Cleveland, and the skillet of grease sat there at the front, bubbling like a tar pit, supposedly unchanged since 1912. The big deal was the double double, which was always nearly dunked in the grease, bun and all, unless you stopped them from doing it.
On many afternoons, the place was patronized by some of the local Memphis wrestlers like Professor Tanaka and Tojo Yamamoto, who would put away a couple of triple triples and a six pack of Schlitz, then they'd get in the Professor's bigass Lincoln and go to their match up the road.
I remember their onion was the hottest onion I've ever had, but it was perfect for these burgers. they were remarkably non-greasy, very flavorful. The new places may have co-opted the history, but they can't stand up to the original.
I, too, started eating at Dyers -- the original -- in the '80s. At that time, it was run by several middle-aged gentlemen who had all been working there for years -- Mr. Kahn (sp?), Mr. Kidd, Farley and, in later years, a very talkative and fascinating guy named Dick West. You could get single, double, double-double or triple-triple burger, or a "split dog", a cold coke or orange crush or a beer, but you could not get fries, no way, no how. If you asked for fries, the standard response was "We don't got 'em. You want chips?" I believe you also could not get lettuce or tomato. Ketchup and mayo were frowned upon. The proper addition to the standard "all the way" burger (onion, pickle, mustard, pepper) was hot sauce and/or more pepper. Period. Sometimes they would close Dyers early in the day if business was slow and it was a good day for fishing. The history and evolution of Dyers in recent years is indeed convoluted, and I don't know if anyone truly knows the whole story. Someone should write a book, or at least a lengthy feature article. Here are some facts, but it's far from the complete story. Yes, the original one on Cleveland Avenue did move from its freestanding "shack" building and gravel parking lot, across the street and down the block into a strip center. (In an act of extreme heresy, the site of the original location was turned into a Burger King.) That was the first reincarnation of Dyers, and the one that famously had a sheriff's escort for the grease. But the first "new" location was actually run by some of the original proprietors (or family thereof). Only later did it become a Vietnamese restaurant that, nevertheless, still served (approximately, anyway) Dyers burgers. Around this same time, some people with some affiliation to the original (but a separate faction, I believe, from those operating the new Cleveland location) opened a location on Stage Road in Bartlett, a suburb of Memphis. It featured a lot of deer and fish trophies on the wall and was especially popular among the Bartlett police force. Later that Dyers moved down the road, to another Bartlett strip center, on the same road. That location didn't last long, and the last time I went by there was a sign on the door that said "Closed. For good." Meanwhile, the Beale Street location opened, as well as Dyers Cafe on Summer Avenue. I'm not sure how "connected" the two enterprises are. The Summer location has an expanded menu, with other fried things -- fried mushrooms, fried dill pickles, fried this, fried that. Those latter two Dyers are what remain today. There may have been other locations as well. Not sure how the "rights" to the Dyers name has worked through all this. If anybody knows a more complete history, please share. Dyers trivia: In the very early days, the original Dyers served hot tamales. One last thing: Fans of the original Dyers would do well to check out the Texas Tavern in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Similar food and feel, but it's open 24 hours a day.
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