The opening of the Cedar Shack Drive-In last week was supposed to be a low-key affair, but the public didn’t cooperate.
Some five years after the restaurant was burned down by an arsonist, it re-opened on Aug. 11 with no fanfare.
“It’s a secret,” joked Manager Jan Hufford Wilson. “Don’t tell anyone we’re open.”
The decision not to make a big deal out of it was deliberate. The owners and crew wanted to ease into the work.
But, alerted by word of mouth, the public swamped the little restaurant, running it out of supplies on the first day.
“It’s all the same,” said employee Kyle Lewis, 16, about the new store during a brief lull Thursday afternoon. “I don’t think anything has changed.”
Another employee, Janice Hicks, who moved to Sweet Home three years ago, said people she bowls with made her aware of the restaurant’s icon status in the Sweet Home community, as the home of the Spotted Owl Burger and a place where truck drivers could call in orders by CB radio.
As she watched the building under construction, she decided she wanted to work there because of its iconic status and because she enjoys the people, she said.
“It’s been insane the past few days,” she said.
Word of mouth was the culprit, Lewis said. “We didn’t tell anybody we were open. I didn’t expect this many customers.”
“We purposely didn’t tell people,” Hicks said. “We didn’t want that to happen, and it happened.”
The crew was hoping for slow and steady, so its members could get used to the work, she said.
“‘Wow’ is right,” Hufford Wilson said. “It’s totally overwhelming and unexpected. We were just going to turn on the lights and open.”
Before opening, her sister asked her what would happen if no one shows, Hufford Wilson said.
“For the most part, they love us and are happy for us to be back,” she said. “They hate the wait. We do too.”
As the crew gets more comfortable, they will get faster and the restaurant will run great, Hicks said. “I’ve heard people saying great things even though we’re busy.”
The new crew wasn’t the only part of the business tested.
The Cedar Shack didn’t make it through the first day before running out of supplies, Hufford Wilson said. “We ran and got supplies.”
The rush kept going, so she had more supplies delivered by truck on Thursday even though it wasn’t a regular delivery day, she said.
Dot and Jerry Gaspard used to eat at the Cedar Shack about once a week, they said, and they like the new building.
Losing the Cedar Shack “sucked because they had the best hamburgers around,” Jerry Gaspard said. His favorite is the Spotted Owl Burger.
“I think it’s awesome,” Robert Fagan said of the re-opening. “I think it’s really good. We needed another place to eat in town. It’s reasonably priced.”
Another customer, Jamison Weist, was looking for three small hamburgers and Tater Tots, but they weren’t on the menu, so he decided to try the restaurant’s owl burger for the first time.
“I was kind of bummed,” he said of when the Cedar Shack burned. “It was convenient, and it was fast. We used to eat here all the time.”
“We just ordered three spotted owl burgers,” his friend Shawn Hassinger said. “We’re putting them to the test.”
Both are happy to see it back.
“I like big burgers,” Hassinger said, and the Cedar Shack’s Spotted Owl Burger is a “killer” burger for the price, $6.50. No other restaurant has one as big for a better price, and the combination of sauce, onions and other fixings make it the best.
People are often surprised by the size of the Owl Burger, Hufford Wilson said. It’s described in the menu as “big enough to share,” and it really is.
People have been asking if it’s bigger than it used to be, she said, but it’s the same size.
Tuesday, the open sign didn’t catch their eyes when Hassinger and Weist passed by in the morning, Hassinger said. As they drove by later in the day, they saw all the cars in the parking lot and knew the Shack was back.
Hassinger likes the new building better than the old one, he said.
And it still has the walk-up window, Weist said. He was concerned it might not be rebuilt.
Hufford Wilson said she loves the new building too, which is larger and includes substantial interior seating, a guitar and an area for playing it and performing.
“I feel like I’m working in the land of the giants,” she said of the kitchen and workspaces.
She already has had folks pick up the guitar and provide impromptu music performances, she said. Down the road, she is planning to provide karaoke, open mic night and dramatic performances, including skits and dinner theater.
The CB will be set up soon so truck drivers can order and pick up their food as they drive by, she said.
The Cedar Shack Drive-In first opened in February 1965. It was built by Tom and Mardy Hufford, their family and friends.
Throughout the years, all of their children have helped at the business.
The original building was destroyed by arson in September 2004. The new building was constructed by the family with help of friends and local professionals.
It is located on part of an original donation land claim that has been in Mardy Hufford’s family for more than 100 years.
The Cedar Shack, located at 4102 Hwy. 20, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday and Saturday. The phone number is 367-5841.
Those who shop in Sweet Home and present a receipt from any local business will receive a 10-percent discount on their meal purchase, Hufford Wilson said.