Millie's keeps sizzling; diners keep coming
Cathy Free
One is a teenager wearing baggy pants exposing a loud pair of Spongebob Squarepants boxer shorts, while the other is a man who appears to be about 70, wearing an immaculate gray wool suit.
Both are craving hamburgers from Millie's, and who can blame them? Cooked to order and covered in homemade secret sauce, they're a steal at three for $2.49. When Stacy first tied on an apron and went to work behind the grill at age 14, "they were 10 cents apiece," she says. "I guess that shows just how long I've been here."
Stacy is almost as much of an institution as the hamburger shop her parents opened 27 years ago on 2100 South in Sugar House, although she would argue that her contribution to the community is nothing special. She's wrong, of course. Just ask her customers.
Named after Stacy's mother, Marlene "Millie" Miller, the drive-in still looks much as it did in 1981, with a red shingled roof, only six booths and no drive-up window.
"Never had one, never will," says Stacy, 48, who still looks the same, too, with a perfectly styled bob, hardly any wrinkles and a tiny waistline — not what you expect from somebody whose specialty is hand-cut onion rings and fries.
Hoping to share a few stories about one of the few "mom and pop" drive-ins remaining in the Salt Lake Valley, Stacy recently joined me for a Free Lunch of grilled chicken sandwiches and fries before the Wednesday afternoon lunch rush.
She and Dan long ago learned the secret of working behind a small counter with your spouse: Let it go. "Whatever is bugging you, it's not worth it," says Dan. "We do have our moments. But for the most part, we enjoy being together."
The couple met as teenagers, when Dan worked as a gas station attendant near Stacy's house in Taylorsville. Dan was immediately smitten, and it didn't hurt that Stacy worked at a drive-in where he could get as many chocolate chip malts as he liked.
Today, he and his wife whip up everything from kiwi shakes to crab sandwiches for construction workers, lawyers, teens, actresses and Utah Jazz players. When John Stockton was with the team, he took over the six booths at Millie's for his son's birthday party.
That was a highlight, says Stacy, but she insists on treating all of her customers the same — even teenage boys who could use a belt with their pants.
One of her most loyal customers is a man who comes in six days a week for the same lunch: six hamburgers, which he slowly eats one by one, unless there's a long wait for a booth.
Now about that missing drive-up. Some customers joke that the Neilsons should think about putting a new sign in their front window: "If you're too lazy to get out of the car for a Millie's burger, you probably don't deserve one."
Have a story? Let's hear it over lunch. E-mail your name, phone number and what you'd like to talk about to freelunch@desnews.com. You can also write me at the Deseret Morning News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110
Recent comments
2100 South and about 10th East
I love Millie's | Feb. 8, 2008 at 11:54 a.m.
Where is this place? I'd like to try it. There's nothing...
DELICIOUS | Feb. 7, 2008 at 3:24 p.m.
During the late 70's and 80's while I was in high school...
I love Millie's | Feb. 7, 2008 at 12:56 p.m.
