By Matthew Abrey

It was pretty much beyond repair. It probably hadn鈥檛 had a facelift since the early 1980s and the food wasn鈥檛 as good as it once was.

It seemed like Rutland鈥檚 Burger Baron, a once-iconic 91大黄鸭 eating institution, was resigned to its fate of fading into the history books.

That was, until Karrin Morris and Mounsef 鈥淢oose鈥� Mounsef bought the formerly great Burger Baron in the fall of 2016, with the intention of restoring the classic burger joint to its former glory.

鈥淎 lot of work had to be done,鈥� said Morris. 鈥淚t was in a pretty rough state, and basically in disrepair.鈥�

The pair spent many hours and dollars ripping out old and decaying appliances, wiping away decades of dirt and grime, and applying more than a few coats of paint.

All the work seems to be paying off.

鈥淭he public reaction has been phenomenal,鈥� said Morris.

鈥淲e opened in February of last year, and people are just so happy, and they鈥檙e saying 鈥榦h my goodness, we鈥檙e so glad you didn鈥檛 shut this down,鈥� because in 91大黄鸭, it鈥檚 been an icon for a long time. One family came in, and they just couldn鈥檛 wait to tell us that they were a fifth generation family coming here to the Burger Baron.鈥�

Morris and Mounsef pride themselves on using quality ingredients, while keeping the prices notoriously low. The meat for the hamburger patties is purchased locally, and all the produce is bought from local farms and vendors. Burger Baron also makes its famous milkshakes with real fruit and real cream, which comes from Foothills Creamery.

And while all these aspects are important to the pair, the one thing that makes the business venture so meaningful to Morris and Mounsef is the history and stories that walk through the door every day.

鈥淥ne gentleman who was probably in his seventies came in just the other day, and told us that his wife had worked at the Burger Baron when she was sixteen, and she鈥檚 in her sixties now,鈥� said Morris.

鈥淎nother time, two older ladies were sitting back to back to each other at different booths, and one was telling me that she had worked at the Burger Baron in the sixties and seventies when she was younger, and the other lady turned around and said 鈥榟ey I worked there during those years鈥�. They instantly recognized each other, and it turns out that they were old friends who hadn鈥檛 seen each other in over 40 years, so it鈥檚 just surreal to hear all these stories.鈥�

The Burger Baron has operated in the building near Rutland Road and Highway 33 since 1979.

鈥淚 love coming into work every day,鈥� says Morris. 鈥淚 would never have thought that in my semi-retirement, I would be flipping burgers and whipping up milkshakes, but I just love my job.鈥�

Burger Baron is located at 140 Rutland Rd. N., and despite the small building, boasts a 50-seat diner and an increasingly busy drive-thru.

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