Page 73 - Wayne County

throwback. It has changed very little. The décor is a little rustic and Brenda doesn’t take debit or credit cards; it’s strictly cash or check only. But what you will fnd is an extensive menu of just about everything you could want – hamburgers, steak sandwiches, barbecue, home-made French fries, chicken, seafood, those famous foot-long hot dogs and the Dairy Ranch’s special sauce – still prepared using Homer Johnson’s same recipe. “He made that sauce himself and we still use it,” says Brenda.

When the Dairy Ranch frst opened, there just weren’t a lot of restaurants around Jesup. Now, you can take your pick from dozens of different restaurants offering all kinds of food. However, there will always be a market for a homemade hamburger, French fries,

barbecue sandwich, shrimp plate, or slab of ribs. You can fnd all of them and more under one roof at the Dairy Ranch. In a time when progress is measured by change, the Dairy Ranch has chosen to defne its success by an absence of change. Brenda does what works – it worked 58 years ago and it still works today. “You have to be dedicated. You have to be there all the time. If something is wrong or not quite right, people want to see the owner and they want you to take care of it. Our customers and employees are wonderful people. They truly are like an extended family. I’m just a simple person. I go to work and I do what I can,” she says.

That simple formula has worked for almost six decades. And it’s going to work for a long time to come. U WCM

BELOW The Dairy Ranch menu reads like a Southern comfort food dream. Fried chicken and barbecue top the charts with homemade hamburgers, soups and steaks close behind. The foot long hot dogs are a favorite among locals, and the Dairy Ranch still serves an old recipe special sauce that makes everyone happy.