Roy and Julia Knowles opened their restaurant in Rome, Georgia in 1940.  From fresh grilled burgers and hand-cut french fries to complete dinners and soda fountain treats, Roy offered virtually any item one could desire from early morning until midnight.

The Sandwich Shop was the first restaurant in the country that offered “order-by-speaker” drive-thru service.  His trademarked name for it was “Curb-O-Matic”.

Ben Lucas, popular local disc jockey, convinced Roy to install a full-blown, glass-enclosed broadcasting station atop the restaurant. Ben played, by special request, the popular tunes of the day on Friday and Saturday nights on his “Talk of the Town” radio program. 

Attendance at “Roy’s” was unprecedented.  Automobiles formed constant traffic jams nightly during the summer months and year-round on the weekends.  Paul went to work for Roy as a “curb boy” in 1958 and continued to work at the drive-thru window, soda fountain, and in the kitchen as a short-order cook for the next four years during the summer and on weekends.

Seasonal “Bathing Beauty Contests” were held that spotlighted the most attractive young ladies in the area and offered them an opportunity to compete with their peers.