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FeedApr 10, 201203:34 PM
Lost Memphis: Blaz'r Steaks
Over the years, people have asked me about the curious design of Nagasaki, the Japanese restaurant at 3951 Summer. Others have noticed the rather unusual architecture of Patrick's, a restaurant and hanging-out-place at 4972 Park.
A few readers finally noticed that the buildings look the same, and they asked me what the structures were, originally.
As you can see from this somewhat grainy advertisement in a 1967 Kingsbury High School yearbook, both establishments began life as a restaurant chain called Blaz'r Steaks.
I really can't explain why that company chose such a bizarre modern style for its steakhouses, with their jutting beams and swooping roofline, or what they hoped to accomplish by leaving that all-important "e" out of the word "Blazer."
All I can do — well, let's say all that I feel like doing at the moment — is show you the old picture, and then go back to my nap.
Ask Vance is the blog of Vance Lauderdale, the award-winning columnist of Memphis magazine and MBQ: Inside Memphis Business. Vance is the author of two books: Ask Vance: The Best Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History and Trivia Expert (2003), as well as Ask Vance: More Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History Expert (2011). He is also the recipient of quite a few nice awards, the creator of several eye-catching wall calendars, and the only person we know with a vintage shock-treatment machine in his den. 
Why, they were 40 years ahead of their time - cf flickr, tumblr, scribd
It was also a George Lindsey's Family Steakhouse.
I thought the Patrick's location was a George Lindsey's first?? Didn't realize Blazr was there before that. Good work, VANCE!
George Lindsey's might have been successful if he had called it "Goober's."
My first job was a bus-boy at George Lindsay's in '66 before I could even drive.It was described as a restaurant ahead of it's time because you had a wall mounted phone at the table to call in your order to the kitchen. Lots of fun and memories of working with Tom Muir, Buddy Durbin (deceased) and others I can't remember. We were all in awe and in love with the much older, pretty switchboard (kitchen) operator.
David Maxey
This is a amazing bit of history. Yup, my family started Blaz'r Steaks in the early 60s. We sold over 1,000 franchises although most were never built. Memphis was the launch pad. My dad was very much ahead of his time when he designed the building. I was just shy of being 10 years old when he laid out the construction plans on the kitchen table. I was one of the first employees working as a busboy.
The turquoise embedded stone outside was quarried in Mexico. The outside beams, if I am not mistaken, were either redwood or Cypress to deter rot and decay. When the restaurant opened in 64, I believe, flames shot upward from the metal flambeaux outside which could be seen for blocks up and down Summer Ave.
We had a unique phone ordering system inside... Way too ahead of its time.
The reason why the name "Blazer" was not used was because another restaurant had that in use... A trademark issue. So, "Blaz'r" was next best option.
By the way, name is David A. Barrett, III. My dad was Jr.
Speaking of George Lindsey, I learned that he died Sunday morning, May 5, in Nashville at the age of 83. RIP.
Mr. Barrett,
In researching old restaurants, I've run across some information about Blaz'r Steaks, including some 1965 newspaper articles about the formation of the company and the opening of the first location.
The groundbreaking for the Summer Avenue restaurant was May 28, 1965. It opened in October of that year, and the Park Avenue location not long after. Memphis was slated for four Blaz'rs, according to the newspaper account. At least two others were built, in Illinois and Florida.
Yes, the "Tele-Steak" concept was way ahead of its time. From the news article about the Summer Avenue opening:
"The new restaurant cost $115,000, exclusive of land, and will seat 192 customers. It features specially designed booths instead of tables, and there's a telephone in each booth by which the customer places his order. It takes only 18 to 20 seconds to take an order from any one customer and only 15 minutes to serve the complete meal after the order has been given becaue no customer is more than 42 feet from the central service area."
The company was first chartered as Brazers, Inc., with the name changed to Blaz'r for trademark reasons. I think the conflict might have been with Dairy Queen, which was using the word 'Brazier' for its burgers.
Richard McFalls