Hi-way Grille sign, 1992.

Hi-way Grille Neon Sign

Ellensburg, Washington

Nothing says "high class eats" like a slowly spinning man in a tuxedo and top hat, outlined in neon -- at least that was the thinking of Vivian Sorenson Martin, who had the man installed outside her Hi-way Grille restaurant in the 1940s. The man, who also has a cane and monocle, awkwardly straddles a rotating ball with the word "Steaks" on one side and a crowned rooster on the other, above the words, "World's Finest Eatin' Chicken."

Martin sold the Grille in 1979; it was torn down in the mid-1990s.

The sign was moved to various spots around town until 2015, when it was purchased and restored by Donna Malek and Mark Holloway, fans of old neon. It now stands next to their Ellensburg coffee shop.