DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Before a new landlord shuttered the iconic Brickyard Lounge and Grill last month, you could walk into the tiny, race-themed restaurant located two miles from Daytona International Speedway, skip the menu and ask them to bring you what NASCAR chairman Jim France orders.
A 1-pound cheeseburger and basket of crispy fries appeared.
At 70-year-old Mario’s Restaurant in nearby Ormond Beach, the hostess says with first-hand knowledge that the late Bill France Sr. ordered the grouper francaise whenever the family popped in.
NASCAR’s founding family members are regulars at nearly every restaurant — dive or upscale — as well as the local shops and businesses that comprise the city’s roughly 75,000 people living along 23 miles of central Florida’s coastline.
“The Frances are wonderful people who come in for lunch,” said Annette Allan, owner of the Brickyard. “They treat the employees very well and are some of our favorite customers.”