MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — With a prime location on Main Street, it's hard to resist a stop at the Burgin Dairy Barn.
"We are at the crossroads of Burgin," owner Sharon Burton said. "So if you're heading to the lake or heading to school or even just heading to the next town over to go to a grocery store, you're going to pass us."
It's even harder to when the menu as delicious as it is.
"One thing that we specialize in is trying to keep a variety of fried foods," Burton said. "Just like going to the fair and finding your favorite cheese sticks or foot-long corn dogs, things like that."
Burton didn't expect to be working in the restaurant business. Ten years ago, she was a stay-at-home-mom to four kids, but after inquiring about a job for her son at the Dairy Barn, she ended up employed herself - and running the restaurant about a year later.
"We've seen so many faces and become a part of the community to where everyone feels like a family here," she said.
Born and raised in Burgin, Burton says the Dairy Barn truly is a family business. Her son Levi and daughter Aubrey work at the restaurant, and her oldest daughter is never too far away, literally.
This week, Makayla Hale opened up The Locker Room Sandwich Shop just across the street from her mom's business.
"It's nice to have her right across," Makayla said. "So if I need help, you know, she's always there to help, and not just a phone call away. She's literally a couple feet away."
Burton feels the same way as her daughter, Makayla.
"We've had a lot of people say, you know, why would you want to put competition across the street? But we don't see this as competition," she said. "We see it as a support for each other and being able to run back and forth, help each other if needed."
The Locker Room isn't Hale's only restaurant. She was just a teenager when she opened the retro-style Kayla's Diner in Harrodsburg five years ago.
"It's crazy that a little 19-year-old that had a dream, that is where I'm at today to now be opening my second place," she said.
With three restaurants across Mercer County, mom and daughter say they're certainly busy, but it's worth it to work in their hometowns.
"I'm very grateful that we have such a small town, but everyone really rallies together to support these small businesses," Hale said.
And doing it together is the cherry on top of a delicious, hand-spun milkshake.
