Penny\u2019s, seen here after moving into its second building in 1963. (Courtesy of Bill Kiser)<\/p><\/div>\n

Hot dogs and hamburgers are still on the menu at Penny\u2019s, but the beer is long gone.<\/p>\n

The current bill of fare includes breakfast items, sandwiches in great variety and blue-plate-special lunches.<\/p>\n

Kiser also keeps a culinary holdover from the past. \u201cWe still use the original chili recipe on the hot dogs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Penny\u2019s is more than a place to chow down. As it has been since the days when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president, Penny\u2019s is a spot in Mint Hill where the intelligentsia gather to chew the proverbial fat.<\/p>\n

Penny\u2019s, remodeled in 1979, giving it a new color brick. (Courtesy of Bill Kiser)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Bob Long served as mayor of Mint Hill from 1971 to 1975 and remains a regular at Penny\u2019s, where he often joins friends at what they call the \u201cPower Table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen Penny\u2019s change from a hangout to a place where a person can acquire knowledge,\u201d Long said. \u201cBut don\u2019t ask me to define what knowledge is. Penny\u2019s also provides a place for fellowship, and fellowship is good therapy. We share fun and sorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to the down-home flavor of Penny\u2019s Place, the interior is a treasure trove of memorabilia, ranging from a huge poster of Marilyn Monroe to a 1932 Popeye the Sailor magnet game board.<\/p>\n

Legendary racecar driver Buck Baker used to drop by Penny\u2019s. Several framed photos of Baker grace the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuck would stop in on Saturday mornings for breakfast as he was heading to his driving school in Rockingham,\u201d Kiser said.<\/p>\n

One of the neatest bits of nostalgia at Penny\u2019s runs circles around the customers \u2013 an elevated, 1949 model Lionel train.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have people bring their kids here just to see the train run,\u201d Kiser said.<\/p>\n

Penny\u2019s Place still has the soul of its early days but has refined its image to reflect the transformation of Mint Hill from rural to suburban.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen thought this was a man\u2019s place,\u201d Kiser said. \u201cNow they know otherwise. We have ladies\u2019 groups come in a lot. We also serve a lot of families, especially breakfast on Saturday mornings. We also went smoke-free in 2005.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, Penny\u2019s Place holds firm to its most important tradition. \u201cIt\u2019s just been an old, country restaurant,\u201d Kiser said.<\/p>\n

Penny\u2019s Place is open Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch. The phone number is 704-545-1932.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: Penny\u2019s Place: Part of Mint Hill\u2019s history, future | Matthews – Mint Hill Weekly<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"