Old Fashion A Review of RJ's Old Fashion Homemade Burgers Price Guide: $5 1/12/04 by Gloria Furman

RATINGS (out of 5)

In days past the Morrison’s Corn Kits factory had a marquee that lit up the Denton skyline announcing their main product line—Corn Kits, Mexi Kits, Pan Kits. Well, those days are gone, and Morrison’s no longer advertises their Kits in the night sky. I think it’s because there’s a brighter star rising on Prairie Street…

Nestled between Denton Concrete Co. and Morrison’s factory is a quaint, old fashion mom-and-pop burger joint. RJ’s Old Fashion Homemade Hamburgers welcomes everyone who wants to eat a great burger, or just sit back and enjoy the community. “RJ stands for real good,” Kevin noted as he flicked the sesame seed from his jacket sleeve.

Each of the guys chose to indulge their senses in the RJ Combo, a half-pound burger with the works and spicy fries. Henry let me eat one of his spicy fries—an A+, maybe next time I’ll order my own. A 32-oz bottle of “Louisiana Perfect Hot Sauce” graced each of the dining tables in this establishment. You might want to go easy on the hot sauce because the bottle warns (or encourages?) that just “one drop does it.”

I’m not big into burgers, but when my dad grills out for the family then I make exceptions. RJ’s may have to be another one of those exceptions, and that’s saying a lot. I was quite happy with my quarter-pound burger, especially when I discovered that hidden under the lettuce were 6 generous pickle slices! But not everyone was as pleased as I was with the burgers—Henry asked if anyone thought their burger tasted like hotdog. After being answered with a resounding, “No,” Henry recovered, “Don’t get me wrong—I like hotdogs.”

While having a lively discussion about how Coca-Cola© has infiltrated every neighborhood with their product by using neuro-marketing—something we should all research further—we noticed that RJ’s is open for breakfast, too. RJ’s opens at 7am to serve omelettes and other breakfast plates. Burgers isn’t all you could eat for lunch—RJ serves up chicken plates, ribs and fish!

I’m glad I asked the cook what his name was before we left, otherwise we would have all been misled to believe that we were served by the legendary RJ himself. Wayne, our cook and cashier, is actually quoted in a newspaper clipping on the wall, “We like to make our customers feel at home.” True. “Wayne treats you right.” –Russ Stukel

Gloria can be e-mailed at furman@tams.sch.unt.edu.