Durant restaurant honors legacy of predecessor

Durant Station is a new restaurant in the former location of George's Drive-In. (KTEN)

DURANT, Okla. -- As the saying goes: Out with the old, in with the new.

But that time-worn phrase doesn't apply to Durant's newest eatery, Durant Station, at 1301 North 1st Avenue.

The cafe took over the building of an iconic drive-in called George's, which had been a staple for local residents who said you haven't been to Durant until you tried the No. 4 chili cheeseburger.

While you won't find the No. 4 on the menu at Durant Station, owner Debbie Mills said she intends to keep George's legacy alive with more than just food.

Walking in to Durant Station, it's hard not to notice the aroma of chicken sizzling on the grill, or customers young and old eating and laughing.

But look past the food and you'll find tucked in the corner a book inviting visitors to share their memories of George's (also known as Geo's).

"When people would talk to me, they would tell me of all the wonderful memories they had of George's," Mills said.

Kent Pickens recalls what he would order:  "I always had a No. 4 hamburger, chili cheeseburger is what it was," he said.

"They had the best burgers and fries in town," gushed Rhonda Collier.

And no one remembers George's burgers better than his own grandson, Eric Bryant.

"His food was so popular that closing time every day was when he ran out of food," Bryant said.

Specializing in salads and wraps, Durant Station's current fare doesn't resemble George's heartier comfort food. So Mills decided to pay homage to George's in a different way.

"When we went to build it, we decided to leave the front awning and keep everything the same, just in tribute to him," she said.

And since the cafe has only been open for a few months, Mills said some customers haven't quite caught on.

"Many times people will walk in and say, 'Do you still have hamburgers?'" she said.

But Mills added that after people give her cafe a chance, they'll notice that it isn't the food that carries on George's legacy, but the fellowship.

"It's the same feeling," Bryant said. "When you walk in the door, you're welcome like you're family, and everyone has a big smile on their face, and that's really what the foundation of it was all about."

Eric Bryant took time to write his own message about his papaw, a man he said shaped him as well as Ardmore.

"He believed in hard work and always doing the right thing, and doing the best you can for everybody," Bryant said. "I think people knew that when they came to eat at George's."

And Debbie Mills said that George's family actually gave her the restaurant's famous chili recipe, so she's planning to buy her own hamburger food truck to sell a similar No. 4 chili cheeseburger.