Burgers and fries made the old fashion way is what Dan and Stacy Neilson, owners of Millie’s Burgers in Sugar House, do six days a week.
“We make everything from scratch: our own sauces, french fries, onion rings, breaded mushrooms and breaded zucchinis,” says Dan. “We use fresh meat and cook your food to order. It makes a difference.”
Those are the basics that have kept Millie’s Burgers going for more than 41 years. Stacy’s parents started Millie’s Burgers, and Dan and Stacy took it over in 2001. “We all worked together until they retired,” says Stacy.
The best sellers are the Millie burger (a quarter pounder), french fries and onion rings. “When the weather is warm we sell a lot of shakes,” says Stacy, “and we have this thing called a Glacier. It’s a slushy with ice cream in it, like a slush float.”
“It’s hard to pinpoint (the top sellers) because we sell a lot of everything on the menu,” says Dan.
When a McDonald’s opened up a block away, the Neilsons were concerned it would take some of their business. “I remember being worried about it,” says Dan. “It really didn’t affect our business; it didn’t change anything. People kept coming to us.”
Many individually owned restaurants did not survive the Covid-19 pandemic. “We actually did well during the pandemic,” says Dan. “We were worried about it because we had to shut down all of our inside seating. We have great customers; they just keep coming.”
“They would call their orders in,” says Stacy, “We’d make sure it was ready when they came in. We’d hand it to them and out the door they would go.”
Getting supplies has been an unexpected challenge from the Covid-19 pandemic. “That’s a big issue right now,” says Dan.
“It rotates around to different items,” says Stacy, “Sometimes it’ll be paper goods, then it’s your food or some ingredients to make the food.”
“It’s kind of a revolving door. You get one problem solved and then another one comes up,” says Dan. “It’s pretty crazy.”
Despite the numerous national burger restaurants in the area, and the recent difficulties with supplies, Millie’s Burgers is a thriving business. Perseverance, patience, friendly staff, and keeping the quality of the food consistent are the secrets to their success. “We just do it right and keep it going,” says Dan. “We try not to fix it if it’s not broken. They keep coming back, and we appreciate it.”
Millie’s is located at 2092 S 1000 E.
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