business & agriculture

These eats hit the spot

For at least one person, new Yoder eatery's offerings are more expansive than at most establishments

By Edie Hall - The Hutchinson News - ehall@hutchnews.com

YODER - McPherson native Eric Montgomery developed a taste for jalapenos after moving to California.

When he's in the Golden State, he has no problem getting restaurants to pile the peppers onto his burgers.

But when he returns to Kansas, his taste for what's hot has to be put on hold.

So for Montgomery, who made a trip home this week to visit his father, Yoder's newest restaurant opened just in time.

The Bull's Eye Grill, which opened three weeks ago on Red Rock Road, serves up burgers on Dutch Mill Bakery buns topped with whatever fixings the customer wants. The menu includes salads and sandwiches, ice cream sundaes and even pizza.

Montgomery ordered a one-third pound burger and opted to top it with jalapenos and cheddar cheese.

"It was delicious," he said.

So far, that seems to be the verdict, said owner Kurt Egli who has been pleased with his business' success over the past three weeks. Egli's wife, Judy, and daughter, Sara, help run the place.

"It's one of the best hamburgers around - that's what people have been saying," Egli said. "We've had a lot of compliments on our ice cream, too."

On Friday, with the clock pushing 1:30 p.m., a group of bearded men and bonneted women sat around a long table stretching down the middle of Bull's Eye Grill.

They had polished off their meals and were enjoying a few more moments in the air-conditioned cool before returning to work in the heat of the day.

Behind them, a staff of Haven High School students - all good workers, Egli said - moved quickly behind the grill, preparing orders.

A table over, Egli, in a red "Bull's Eye Grill" ball cap and his signature T-shirt and jeans, enjoyed a Coke with friends while he watched the lunch-hour rush start to trickle out.

The Yoder native, who for 16 years owned a water well service, admittedly is no expert in restaurant management. But when the former Yoder Caf, which had its heyday in the 1950s and '60s, came up for sale Egli couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"I thought I saw a demand for good quality fast food in the community," he said. "A place people could come later in the afternoon after shopping to get some ice cream and cool off."

Through discussions with friends, family and people in the food service industry, Egli decided on the restaurant's name, menu and atmosphere. The planning took about a year.

"We settled on a burger joint because we thought that would reach the largest percent of the population," he said. "We wanted a logo that would stick in people's minds. For atmosphere, we just wanted something that would work in this town."

The caf's wood and tin walls are decorated with antique-looking signs.

"It ended up cheaper to go with the old-time feel," Egli said, smiling. "The barn wood came and tin came from home and around the area."

Egli said after three weeks in business, he has some ideas for how to make the restaurant better.

But Hutchinson resident Mike Smith, who had his first Bull's Eye Grill hamburger Friday afternoon, said he wouldn't change a thing.

"I stopped in because it looked unique," Smith said. "It's more of a mom and pop set-up where you can get food fast, but it's home-made and not like a chain restaurant. The food was real good; the price was fair, too."