“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” — Walt Whitman

IF YOU GREW up in Chattanooga, you most likely grew up eating Krystal hamburgers.

Local couple Jerry and Kitty Bentley celebrated their marriage 50 years ago by eating their first meal as man and wife at Krystal. Little did they know they were starting a family tradition.

According to the couple’s daughter, Rebecca Bentley Avans, she and her sister did the same when they married.

“My sister and I also ate our first meal as married women at Krystal,” Ms. Avans said in an e-mail. “My sister was in Chattanooga and I was in Daytona Beach, Fla. All of our kids plan to follow this tradition.”

The Bentleys live in Ooltewah.

The daughters surprised their parents with a 50th anniversary party at Mountain View Wedding Chapel in Ooltewah last month. In light of the past, the decorations were not surprising. The daughters constructed from Krystal boxes a giant number 50, and the main course of the evening was Krystal hamburgers.

According to Krystal spokesman Brian Cooley, more than 100 Krystals were served at the celebration.

The nearby Krystal honored the couple with a sign saying, “Happy 50th wedding anniversary Jerry and Kitty Bentley,” Mr. Cooley said. “It’s a happy story.”

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