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The "ORIGINAL" Jimmy's Jawbreaker was created by none other than the "original" Jimmy Mast himself. Jimmy's experience in the restaurant business began at the ripe old age of 19. He ran a potato chip route during the day and a hotdog stand at night. His first hotdog stand did not even have an entrance; he actually had to crawl under the counter to enter his kitchen, which was about the size of a concession trailer.
After borrowing $600 from his parents to purchase the hotdog stand, he then saved enough from the stand to buy the land on Lincoln Ave. and build Jimmy's #1. Later, he sold out to June and it was known as June's Drive In; and NO, Jimmy was never married to June. In the late 1950's, Jimmy also built, using all of his own original ideas, Jimmys's #2 on Memorial Drive - known back then as "the strip". That generation of kids could probably write their own histories; ask Jimmy's son Nick Mast, who was then Manager of Jimmy's #2. Jimmy's #2 became the hot spot for kids to meet their dates or a place where you could take your family for some good wholesome food and fun! How many of you met your spouse at Jimmy's #2?
As the restaurant's popularity grew, teletrays and carhops were introduced. Jimmy married one of his carhops who lived in Logan at the time and commuted back and forth to work on the 2-lane highway daily. Gloria Jean and Jimmy produced two more Masts, JAMIE and MARK.Things progressed and new restaurants came to town. Jimmy sold out to Ralph Nauman, who opened it as Kenny's, leaving Lancaster with a sandwich the public had made famous. Jimmy and Gloria ventured into other avenues of the food service business, opening DIAMOND JIM'S PIZZA, BIG JIM'S TRUCK STOP, and investing money in ventures they thought would pay off later.And that it did!
Almost 30 years after Jimmy's #2 was sold, their daughter Jamie brought back the legend of the "Original" Jimmy's Jawbreaker at the 1989 Fairfield County Fair. Sponsoring a gospel group for their fundraiser, the Jawbreaker did a whopping 8,000 sandwiches sold in 6 days! That's where the sandwich was reborn. Lancaster accepted, supported and encouraged Jamie to go on with the sandwich and take off from where her mom and dad had ended....and that she did! With support and encouragement from her younger brother Mark, she bought and opened the concession trailer you saw in the 90's, but which she has since replaced with the "little diner on wheels" that she operates today.
The "Original" Jimmy's Jawbreaker consists of 2 - 100% all beef patties, real American cheese, fresh green lettuce and home-grown tomatoes, plus the fabulous cooked sauce created by Jimmy's mother, all served on a delicious, fresh baked, 5" grilled sesame seed bun. The ingredients used today are purchased from local merchants, including the beef which is butchered, pattied and delivered fresh daily from Bay's Market on Maple St. in Lancaster, just as it was in the 50's to Jimmy's 1 and 2. The sandwich can't be beat by anyone, and has been called the world's greatest sandwich for years.
IT TRULY IS THE SANDWICH THAT LANCASTER MADE FAMOUS!
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