The First Stagecoach Dinner Was Signaled by a Horn

In the early 1860s, when stagecoaches ran through Shelby, the driver coming from Rutherfordton had a special way of announcing how many people would be eating at the local inn. As he approached town, he blew his horn a certain number of times — one blast for each passenger who planned to stop for dinner. This gave the servants time to prepare the food and have fresh horses ready at the stables. Long before telephones or schedules, the entire meal service at the inn depended on the sound of a stagecoach horn.
Source: Mamie Jones