“We thought we’d buy it, improve on it and turn around and sell it,” Susanne said. “We never planned to stay here; it was not our thing.”
Prior to buying this business, Morris had decades of restaurant industry experience. To put himself through college, he worked in restaurants, holding every position from dishwasher to manager. He eventually co-owned a French continental restaurant in Dallas and developed his culinary skills.
As co-owners, the couple divided responsibilities based on their strengths. Susanne said in addition to working the register, she oversaw bookkeeping and advertising, which she still does today. She also puts high priority on all aspects of restaurant sanitation from keeping the restrooms clean to assuring the food is maintained at proper temperatures.
“He [is] the food man; he understood quality and seasonings,” Susanne said of Morris. “All of our dressings are housemade, which he created. He does a spicy marinade for our chicken. We’re famous for our ranch dressing, which we make from scratch.”
The menu features 10 hamburger options, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and more. Susanne pointed out that the restaurant has a particularly nice mushroom cheeseburger.
“It’s none of that canned junk; everything is fresh,” she said. “The mushrooms are sauteed on the grill.”
Other popular menu items at JG’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers include the Double Bacon Cheeseburger Basket ($16.25); Classic Chicken Caesar Salad ($11.80); and JG's Special Chicken Sandwich Basket ($15.41) which comes with Swiss cheese and mushrooms as well as onion rings.
The couple’s daughters, Shahrzad Bagheri Bacon and Andrea Bagheri White, help run the restaurant. Bacon works weekdays and knows many of the regulars’ orders the moment they walk in the door. White handles social media marketing and fills in when needed at the restaurant.
White said customers often find their longevity noteworthy.
“They love that it’s a family business, and the employees have been here since (they were) little,” she said. “The other thing that surprises them is the food quality and price. They say it’s delicious and it ... tastes like what they had when they were kids.”
- JG’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, 12101 Greenville Ave., Ste. 109, Dallas.
- 972-644-8628. www.jgshamburgers.com.
- Hours: 10:45 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily.
