Red's Giant Hamburg stood on the west end of Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri, and is believed to have been the world's first drive-through restaurant. Its name resulted from owner Sheldon "Red" Chaney mis-measuring a special-ordered T-shaped sign for "Red's Giant Hamburger" and then having the bottom cut off when it proved too tall to fit, removing the "er" from "hamburger." Red and his wife Julia served giant hamburgs and homemade root beer there from 1947 until they retired in 1984. The restaurant was torn down in 1997. In 2013, the City of Springfield raised $15,000 through a crowd-sourcing campaign to recreate its legendary sign.
