Varsity Lingo
Over the years The Varsity has become synonymous in Atlanta's folklore with a clever and unorthodox catchphrase. Originated by frazzled cashiers as a way to keep the lines moving, the blunt and abbreviated greeting "What'll ya have?" caught on with both staff and public and eventually became the restaurant's unofficial slogan. Today it appears on takeout boxes and cups as well as Varsity memorabilia and is the required greeting to all customers.
Along with 'What'll ya have?" the Varsity staff, as was common practice, developed their own jargon when calling out orders. Being a restaurant with an open grill, the customers could overhear the staff's slang and eventually began adopting it as their own when placing orders. Recognizing that the customers enjoyed being 'in on the joke' the Varsity eventually began listing its items with both their conventional and jargon references on both their overhead and printed menus.
| Hot Dog | a hot dog with chili and mustard |
| Chili Dog | same as a hot dog |
| Naked Dog | a plain hot dog in a bun |
| M.K. Dog | a naked dog with mustard and ketchup |
| Regular C Dog | a chili dog with ketchup only |
| Red Dog | a naked dog with ketchup only |
| Yellow Dog | a naked dog with mustard only |
| Yankee Dog | same as a yellow dog |
| Heavy Dog | a hot dog with extra chili |
| Walk a Dog (or Steak) | a hot dog (or hamburger) to go |
| Steak | a hamburger with mustard, ketchup, and pickle |
| Chili Steak | a hamburger with chili |
| Glorified Steak | a hamburger with mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato |
| Mary Brown Steak (or Dog) | a plain hamburger (or hot dog) without a bun |
| Naked Steak | a plain hamburger |
| Sally Rand | a naked hamburger |
| Sally Rand Through the Garden | a naked hamburger with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise |
| N.I. Orange | a Varsity Orange without ice |
| F.O. | a frosted orange shake |
| Joe-ree | coffee with cream |
| P.C. | pure chocolate milk (always served with ice) |
| N.I.P.C. | a P.C. without ice |
| All The Way | with onions (on a hot dog, hamburger, etc.) |
| Bag of Rags | a bag of chips |
| Ring One | order of onion rings |
| Strings | French fries |
| Sideways | onions on the side |
| V.O. | Varsity Orange, the original carbonated orange soda drink |
| L.G. | Lazy Gordy, a Naked Dog and a Sprite |
Read more about this topic: The Varsity