slow change, fast food
Here's what's behind the 51-year success of Austin classic Dan's Hamburgers
Consistency is key, according to the Dan's Hamburgers team.
The same taste, the same customers, the same family running it: Dan's Hamburgers is an Austin staple.
"It's still in-house, made-scratch menus and just true to our brand," Katie Congdon, the owner of Dan's Hamburgers, told KVUE. "Same way, every day."
Dan's has been a constant in the lives of Congdon and her four siblings. Her parents, Dan and Frank Junk, opened the first location in 1973.
Congdon said she has been with the business for 49 years, going all the way back to when she started cleaning tables at 13. She took over Dan's when her father died 26 years ago – but not much has changed.
"We're just trying to carry on their tradition," she said. "They were very – Mom and Dad – were very true to their brand, which is a good, quality hamburger. We haven't changed how we prepare the burgers."
In a sea of competition, Congdon said consistency is what keeps Dan's afloat.
"That's the key, you know: good product, good price, good quality," longtime Dan's employee Shannon McMillian said.
McMillian started bussing tables and working in the kitchen at Dan's when he 15. He worked his way up to management over 42 years.
"It's really been my life," he said. "I've been working here my entire life."
While many restaurants are struggling with rising costs and rent, McMillian said good relationships with the same suppliers is what keeps the prices at Dan's competitive.
"Even like, McDonald's, Whataburger, we're still below them in price. But I feel like the quality here is much better," he said.
It's also the relationships the staff keeps with customers.
"We know them by name. We know what their order is," McMillian said. "So there's a great chemistry between customers and the staff."
There's also a certain level of nostalgia for some.
"We have a lot of customers that tell us they [are nostalgic for] where they ate with their parents or their grandparents," Congdon said. "And when they're coming back to town, they want to come back to where they had breakfast with their grandma or a burger with their grandfather or something like that."
For others, it's just about the quality.
"I'm 66. I've probably been eating Dan's since way back when I was a young teen. For most of my life," said customer Roger Morris [...]
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Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.
