"At the top of a hill in Redwood City, Joe Montana walked through the door of the Canyon Inn, ordered a hamburger and sat down in a booth. There was no crowd that formed around him. No pictures being taken. No autographs requested. This was a normal day in 1981, and Joe Montana wasn't Joe Montana. He was barely known. He had just begun his first season as a starting quarterback in the NFL."
"At the Canyon Inn, where the 49ers were promised free food any time they won a game, nobody could've expected what happened next. A team that won just two games in 1978, two in 1979, and six in 1980, was about to change the trajectory of a restaurant that was selling hamburgers for 95 cents each. Or maybe it was the restaurant that would change the trajectory of the 49ers. They'll win three, four games, and it'll be a fun promotion,"
"The Canyon Inn began as a one-man operation in 1972, when Harrison, an East Bay native, quit his job as a cook at a local restaurant. He grew tired of hot food going cold while it waited for a busy server to deliver it to its table. With nothing more than a grill and a table, a 22-year-old Harrison started selling burgers out of an old 7-Eleven."
The Canyon Inn offered free meals to 49ers players and staff after wins during the 1981 season, while Joe Montana remained largely unknown. The 49ers had struggled in previous seasons but began winning in 1981, a run that coincided with increased attention to the team and the restaurant. Owner Tim Harrison started the Canyon Inn in 1972 after leaving a cook job, selling burgers from an old 7-Eleven before expanding to a storefront. The proximity of the 49ers' practice facility helped create regular patronage. The team's success and the free-meal promotion helped transform the restaurant's fortunes and local reputation.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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