The awards and honors take up a whole page on the back of the menu at Johnny B's Burgers & Shakes in Southlake.

But owner John Bruce Finlayson only needs a few words to describe the key to his burger joint's success: quality products, personal service, commitment to community and a trip back in time.

"We just try to give them an old-fashioned cheeseburger, just like the one they had growing up," he said.

Finlayson was called "Johnny B" when he was growing up, to distinguish him from his father. He inherited not only his father's name, but also his love of the community and passion for a good cheeseburger.

His father operated a hamburger restaurant for 30 years in a small town in northern Missouri, where he also designed the Little League baseball field and helped found the high school's booster club.

"I started working at my dad's place when I was old enough to see over the counter," Finlayson said. "I started off by sweeping the floors and taking out the trash."

But instead of immediately following his father into the burger business, Finlayson spent 30 years working for Ryder Systems, a $6 billion logistics and supply company best known for its rental trucks. He rose to vice president of sales, on a career path that included moves across the country.

The family of five enjoyed a little ritual—one that eventually led to the opening of Johnny B's Burgers.

"Wherever we would move, we would look for the best cheeseburger place in the area," Finlayson said. "We'd spend six to nine months looking before deciding on a winner."

Finally, 16 years ago, the family was tired of moving. Finlayson wanted his three young kids to grow up in Southlake.

They did their cheeseburger research.

"When we moved here, we didn't really feel like we found a great one, just a bunch of chains," he said. "After a while, we decided that Southlake really needed a good old-fashioned cheeseburger place. I thought with all my experience it wouldn't be that difficult."

John quickly put his years at both his dad's place and at Ryder to work. He created a distinctive sweet sourdough bun and worked at buying the best possible ingredients .

"My background is in logistics," Finlayson said. "We get everything fresh every day. We don't even own a freezer. You can watch us hand cut our fries through the window. The quality of the product is second to none."

In all but one of the 10 years it has been open, Johnny B's has appeared on at least one publication's annual "Best Burger" list.

The atmosphere is down home and make no mistake—home is Southlake.

Wall decorations celebrate Southlake Carroll High School, which all three Finlayson kids attended, and Texas Tech, again the school of choice for the Finlayson children.

Wall space also is devoted to plaques from youth sports teams that Johnny B's has sponsored and photos of Southlake residents all over the world holding up a sign reading "Eat at Johnny B's after the game."

The travel photos were started by American Airline pilots who frequent the restaurant.

More about Johnny B's

When Johnny B's opened 10 years ago, it was the 27th restaurant in Southlake. Now there are more than 160.

Perhaps the best known menu item at Johnny B's is the Dragonburger ($8.65), a triple cheeseburger with jalapeos and chili.

Johnny B's includes a large meeting room, so separate from the main dining area that it has its own restrooms. The restaurant doesn't charge for use of the room.

Finlayson said his children and other teens worked at Johnny B's until they graduated from college:

"While we've had the same cooks for 10 years, we've employed more than 100 local teenagers since we opened. It has really been a lot of fun to see them grow up and mature."

Johnny B's Burgers

2704 E. Southlake Blvd., Southlake, 817-749-0000, www.johnnybsburgers.com

Hours: Mon.-Thur. 10:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m.