People drove for miles to visit the UFO restaurant
• UFOs & Bogus Science
By Craig Basse and Carrie Johnson, © St. Petersburg Times
ST. PETERSBURG - On a hot day in August 1952, George George climbed onto the roof of his downtown restaurant and wrote an invitation:
"Coffee Free Welcome Saucers"
It was a time of untold numbers of reported sightings of UFOs, and his amateur handiwork brought him worldwide publicity. ...
"He didn't really believe in flying saucers," said Rick George, Mr. George's son. "He had an unusual sense of humor. He was what you would call an entrepreneur."
Asked by a newspaper reporter in 1966 if he really believed in UFOs, Mr. George replied, "Well, there was a lot of talk about them in those days. And nobody's ever proven to me there aren't flying saucers. Besides, with what I've seen, anything's possible. And if there really are flying saucers, I figured I'd rather have them on my side." ...
Family members say the sign was really a publicity stunt - a highly effective one.