Editor's note: Muncie Origins is a Ball State Daily News series profiling various businesses that originated in Muncie.
Within walking distance from campus, on Jackson Street, lies a local staple: Burkie’s Drive-In.
This burger joint, painted in red and white, looks like you’ve walked back in time to the '50s.
Cars pull up to the menu boards outside, which are fashioned with old buttons customers can push for service.
Servers come to each car, taking the customers' orders and serving food on trays that rest on the cars' windows.
It is a place that definitely has its niche.
Burkie’s first opened in 1954. It was a popular place for teenagers to hang out and get ice cream sodas.
Rob Wardrop, a Ball State alumnus, has been the owner for the past three years. He knew the previous owner because he has an office right across the street.
He was a regular at the drive-in, going there for lunch often, and became friends with the previous owner.
“I’ve always enjoyed Burkie’s," he said. "I’ve been going there for, oh gosh, probably 30-plus years.”
When the previous owner was looking to sell, he called Wardrop, who jumped at the chance.
Wardop said Burkie's became such a Muncie staple, because it's stood the test of time.
"The place was built in 1954, so you think about, you know the 1950's and the things that were going on, I guess you could call it a 'teenager hang out,' you know, an ice cream and soda kind of place like the old fashion drive-in," he said. "I don't know how long McDonald's has been here, but Burkie's was probably here before McDonald's came to Muncie. So if you think about it along those lines, it was quite popular for a long time."
Since Wardrop has been the owner, there have been some renovations, such as a paint job, the new drive-up roof and menu updates — which include three new hamburgers, four hamburger wraps, three new salads, breadsticks and pickle chips.
Other than the few renovations and addition of menu items, Wardrop kept the drive-in similar to how it's always been.
Jason Pickell, a senior political science major, remembers when he would walk over to Burkie’s during his freshman and sophomore year.
He likes its food — in particular the hot ham and cheese sandwich — as well as the friendly atmosphere and speedy delivery of the food, "they're always attentive to your order," he said.
“I've always been impressed with how good their food is, Pickell said. "There’s something about those older kind of historic places where the food’s good no matter what."
Pickell said one of Burkie's greatest attributes is that it's locally owned.
"I think there's something about it when you have a locally owned business making food for you and that you're giving back to the community in some way by supporting local businesses," he said.
Pickell knew about Burkie’s because one of his friends lived across the street, but he doesn’t think that’s the case for other students, mainly because there aren't a lot of other businesses near it.
“There’s actually a surprising number of people who don’t actually know what Burkie’s is,” he said.
Although some people are unfamiliar with Burkie’s, there are many customers who have fond memories at Burkie’s and come back to reminisce.
“We get stories almost every day of people that come in there that have been coming there since the 1950s and 1960s," Wardrop said. "I hear very often that a lot of people say, 'This is where we had our first date,' or, 'This is where we met,' or, 'I used to work here back in the 60s when I was a teenager.' It’s really neat to hear some of the old stories from a lot of the people that have been coming there for decades and continue to come there and enjoy it."
DN PHOTOS SAMANTHA BRAMMER
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