Judy's is better than expected

ROYAL CITY - Judy's, the iconic cafe that sits a couple miles west of town on Highway 26, is nearing four months of operation since its re-opening on April 18.

"It's actually doing better than I thought it would at this point," co-owner Eric Myrick said.

But the business is not near where Myrick and his wife Rose want it to be. They've added to the menu, adjusted their schedule and are marketing specialty products they make.

The best news at Judy's is that the owners are seeing repeat customers more and more. They see the same locals two to three times a week, and the same travelers drop in occasionally.

"The busiest time of the day is lunch time across the board," Myrick said. "It usually goes from 10:30-2:30."

Myrick noted employee groups order take-out lunches quite often. Royal Ridge employees occasionally buy 10-15 lunches.

The most popular lunch item, Myrick said, is the Cougar Gold hamburger. The patty is hand-pressed from fresh ground beef and Cougar Gold cheese and weighs six or eight ounces. It is served on a pretzel bun.

Other popular items are the brisket and the pulled pork.

The big adjustment has been breakfast. The Myricks thought farmers would want to eat as early as 6-8 a.m. That didn't happen.

So the restaurant doesn't open until 10 a.m. daily. It closes at 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays.

The Myricks make accommodation for those who want to dine late and call in advance. They'll do groups or even couples.

"If they want a special meal (not on the menu) and give me enough notice, I'll make it for them," said Myrick, who is the chef.

"We feature all fresh foods, especially the produce," Myrick added. "If it's out there (in the fruit stand), we'll have it in here in our dishes."

The Myricks started with a limited menu of fewer than 20 items. Now they offer more than 25.

New appetizers are buffalo wings and steamer clams. New sandwiches are the Reuben, Judy's French Dip, The Halibut Club, the Bratwurst Burger and The Italiano.

Also added have been fetuccini and seafood salad. And the spinach salad is new.

Meanwhile, the Myricks have decided to take advantage of Eric's culinary skills by marketing take-home products. They include candied almonds and cajun almonds, which are candied almonds with a kick.

The Myricks are also marketing their House Barbecue Sauce and Green Chile Blueberry Sauce. Both are Myrick recipes.

"One day I stood there with pasilla peppers in one hand and blueberries in the other, not sure what to do; I combined them, and added special ingredients," Myrick said.

The House Barbecue Sauce is a combination of the Carolina and Kansas City tastes.

Also being marketed are strawberry vinaigrette and basil vinaigrette, both Myrick recipes.

"It's going to take a while to get Judy's up to where it needs to be, but we're encouraged by what's happened so far," Myrick said.