New owners serve old classics at Dandy CUSTOMERS CAN EXPECT TO FIND THEIR MENU FAVORITES
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or Mary Sober and Justin Kline, it was a daunting proposition pursuing their dream of starting up a new restaurant during a pandemic that was limiting in-person dining. Undeterred, the married couple with three kids jumped at the perfect opportunity to take over Dandy Burger last October. “It’s been great so far. I’ve been blown away,” said Sober of the drive through burger joint on Monmouth Cutoff Road in Dallas. “I was a little hesitant going in, but I’m amazed how busy it is, by the support we’ve got and how friendly everybody is.” Sober and Kline had talked a lot about wanting to own a small business. “We both used to work at a small fish and chips restaurant, so we liked the small business,” Sober said. “We wanted to do something on our own time, something that’s a little flexible that works good for us and our three kids.” She said previous owner, Otis Pettit, after five years running Dandy Burger, was done, ready to move on to work on race cars. Taking
32 Explore Polk County 2021
over with an established menu and customer base was the perfect scenario. “I guess that was kind of my thing,” the 27-year-old former stay-at-home mom said. “I didn’t want to step up on my own and start 100% from scratch. Being able to step into something that was already established was perfect and what I was wanting. His menu is great, the food was great and his customers are great.” So far, it’s a solo operation with a space small enough for Sober to take orders and man the grill by herself. “Some days it gets a little crazy where I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off,” she admitted. On the busiest days there can be up to five cars in line on both sides of the drive through lanes. And she gets quite a few walkups, explaining that all the surrounding businesses have employees who come over and eat. Among her menu of fast-food staples, the double cheeseburger remains the most popular item. “People have big appetites, I guess,” she
said. Even with an established menu of favorites, Sober said they’re looking to add to it. “We’re actually working on a breakfast menu,” she said. “So fingers crossed, we’re shooting for spring-break time coming out with a breakfast menu of biscuits and gravy and breakfast sandwiches.” In addition, she and her husband are working on increasing their presence on social media. “We’ve started up a Facebook page, but the computer stuff remains my weakness. I’d rather be here and talk to people,” she said.
Dandy Burger Where: 888 SE Monmouth Cutoff Road, Dallas When: 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday Contact: 971-284-9469
A Special Publication of the Polk County Itemizer-Observer
