While some longtime Austin businesses are struggling to stay afloat, this longtime diner is doing just fine.
AUSTIN, Texas – Same flavor, same customers, same family running it: Dan’s Hamburgers is an Austin staple.
“It’s still house-made menus and true to our brand,” Katie Congdon, owner of Dan’s Hamburgers, told KVUE. “The same way, every day.”
Dan’s has been a constant in the lives of Congdon and his four siblings. His parents, Dan and Frank Junk, opened the first location in 1973.
Congdon said he has been in the business for 49 years, dating back to when he started cleaning tables at age 13. She took over Dan’s when her father died 26 years ago—but not much has changed.
“We’re just trying to continue their tradition,” she said. “They were very – mom and dad – very loyal to their brand, which is a good quality burger. We haven’t changed the way we prepare the burgers.”
In a sea of competition, Congdon said consistency is what keeps Dan afloat.
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“That’s the key, you know: good product, good price, good quality,” said Shannon McMillian, Dan’s longtime employee.
McMillian started bussing tables and working in the kitchen at Dan’s when he was 15 years old. He reached management over 42 years.
“This has really been my life,” he said. “I’ve worked here my whole life.”
While many restaurants face rising costs and rents, McMillian said good relationships with the same suppliers are what keeps prices competitive at Dan’s.
“Even like McDonald’s and Whataburger, we’re still below them in price. But I feel the quality here is much better,” he said.
It’s also the relationships the team maintains with customers.
“We know them by name. We know what their order is,” McMillian said. “So there’s great chemistry between customers and employees.”
There is also a certain level of nostalgia for some.
“We have many customers who tell us that [are nostalgic for] where they ate with their parents or grandparents,” Congdon said. “And when they go back to town, they want to go back to where they had breakfast with their grandmother or had a burger with their grandfather or something like that.”
For others, it’s just a question of quality.
“I’m 66 years old. I’ve probably been eating Dan’s since I was a teenager. Most of my life,” said customer Roger Morris, who added that Dan’s burgers are juicier than any others. “If I really want a burger, I’ll go to Dan’s.”
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Congdon said the company plans to continue serving customers for generations to come, in bigger and better ways.
“Let’s tear [the Airport location] decommission it and rebuild it and add a drive-thru. After we finish we will go to our North Lamar store at 5602 North Lamar, [and] do the same,” she said. “And then we’ll be looking at future locations with a smaller footprint.”
Congdon said he is preparing to keep the business in the family, with the next generation taking over.
“Let them assume the same – and maybe change or add something, or who knows, you know?” she said. “They might have a totally different concept when I’m no longer in charge.”
But it will always be the same Dan’s Hamburgers for years to come.
“Because it’s a family business and we saw how hard our parents worked, we want to make them proud. We want to do the same thing,” Congdon said. “They’ve worked really hard on this, starting this business, and we want to keep it going.”
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