Introduce yourselves and what you do at AP’s Dairy Bar!
My name is Austin Prater, my wife’s name is Autumn Prater, and my son’s name is Alexander Prater. Together, we create AP’s Dairy Bar!
My wife and I share different roles in the restaurant. We noticed that if both of us had all responsibilities, instead of dividing them, we would feel like everything is on both of our shoulders, and either stuff would get done twice or not get done at all. Since then, we have developed a good system, and I would not be able to do it without her. Autumn often takes care of bookkeeping, finances, and ordering our products. Some of my jobs are to fix things that break, as well as manage and hire new employees.
Give us a brief background of AP’s Dairy Bar.
AP’s Dairy Bar is basically a 50s inspired restaurant. We bring people back in time so anyone who walks in can enjoy the atmosphere of what it might have felt like back then with classic music, fresh food (not precooked fast food), and 50s decor.
Our building has been around for 63 years, and AP’s began in 2020! We are located at 20905 East Main Street Huntingdon TN 38344, and we specialize in soft serve custard, hand patted fresh, never frozen, burgers made to order, and hot fries every time.
About 4 years ago, my life was at a crossroads. Either, I was going to stay where I was and continue in the same dead-end job, or I was going to start a new path. Then, one day my brother called me and asked me if I was still looking for a new job, and I said yes. He brought up the idea of opening a burger joint down the street. I said no, I’m not doing that. Then, he asked if I was free to at least check it out, to which I said yes.
I showed up and the restaurant was a disaster. No space at all, and not clean. There was never a great history of keeping businesses in the building, so I left. A few days later my brother called me again and said let’s look at it one more time, so I said ok. We went again, and when I stepped in, my gears started to turn, and I thought maybe it’s possible, but then I was struck with reality. At the time, we had no money and no collateral. My brother asked if I had talked to the bank. I said no. He told me to go see what they say.
When I met with the president of the bank, I gave him my 10-minute pitch of how the business will operate and what the vision for it is. When I got done, I sat back, waiting for a no. After about 7 seconds of silence he said, yep, we can do that. My jaw hit the floor! I got the loan, started buying equipment and supplies, and vendors started approaching me asking if I would sell their products!
All at once the pieces of my life were starting to fall back into place. Looking back, now, I see some stuff had to go in order for me to be blessed. So, this business is not because of me, it’s because of God and all the right things falling into place! That’s why I always work hard and never stress, because whatever happens, I know it’s for the best.
What makes AP Dairy Bar stand out from similar locations?
Well I know we have many of the same kinds of foods like burgers and fries, but we make ours fresh. And we know our quality is way better and our atmosphere is fun for the whole family. We also provide great customer service thanks to a great team! I would bet that you remember a small dairy bar that you grew up around that was always a great stop with great food. Well, that’s what we are all about!
What Henny Penny equipment do you currently use at AP Dairy Bar, and how long have you been using Henny Penny equipment?
As of now, we have a Henny Penny 340 series fryer. We have been using this fryer since we’ve opened, and we haven’t needed a different fryer since!
Tell us how you feel about your Henny Penny fryer? Has this had a positive impact on your business? Why partner with TFG?
I love my fryer. I know I could have gotten a different 1 or even 2 fryers for a much lower price, but I tell people all the time if I did not have this fryer, I would be closed!
It has had an incredibly positive impact on our business. When you have a drive through, it’s not a minute’s game, it’s a seconds game, so having a fryer that has the ability to pump out food fast and consistent is a huge plus! Along with that, in order to be in business, your food has to be at a competitive price. So that means you have to be able to serve many people at an efficient pace, because our profit comes directly from the volume of orders. So, with all that considered, in order to have a fair price point you have got to be fast.
It’s a hard thing to achieve, but thanks to this amazing equipment we are able to keep up and continue to grow in business. Some of the features we love are its timers for all 4 baskets, an automatic filter system built in, temperature control, and a melt cycle. All while being very compact!
We chose TFG, because they have never let us down, not once!!!
