Hundreds and hundreds of people stood in line Saturday morning outside The Varsity's 90th birthday party at its landmark Atlanta location near Georgia Tech.

One woman said she had stood in line 40 minutes just to reach the restaurant’s door. Several other lines were the same.

Cars backed up on nearby Spring Street. And for the first time in managers’ memories, the iconic Atlanta chili dog palace had to repeatedly turn people away from the already packed parking lot.

With all menu items at 90 cents, people are buying bags and bags of food, too.

A related celebration started at 10:30 a.m. and continues to 3 p.m. The Varsity will offer door prizes, music and special guests in addition to the discounted food. The specials are available at all locations except the airport kiosks.

The Varsity is also highlighting the occasion by raising $90,000 to support a program at the Shepherd Center to help brain-injured veterans.

» Check back later today at AJC.com for more details and photos from the event.

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