Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWelcome back to IBJ’s video feature “Inside Dish: The Business of Running Restaurants.”
Our subject this week is Indy's Historic Steer-In, the latest in a line of drive-in diners situated at 5130 E. 10th St.,
dating back to 1929. (For a detailed history, see "Notes from the Back of the Napkin" below.) Harold's Steer-In,
owned by Harold Phillips, occupied the spot from 1964 to 2008. The iconic eatery had struggled since 2001, when Phillips stepped
back from the business and leased it to former employees.
Longtime east-side resident Casey Kehrer, 42, saw an opportunity and convinced his parents, Charlie and Barbara Kehrer, to
help revive the landmark eatery. They entered into a lease in 2007 and invested $125,000 in improvements to the property and
interior. Business began to pick up after a slow start, and they decided to buy the restaurant from Phillips in 2008 at a
purchase price of $325,000. They redubbed it "Indy's Historic Steer-In."
"It's been phenomenal. We turned a profit of $2,000 last year, and I was just tickled to death after two years to
show a profit," said Barbara, 60, whose retirement has been hijacked by 45-hour weeks at the restaurant.
Sales leapt from $650,000 in 2008 to $825,000 in 2009, and are on track to pass $1 million this year. Much of that growth
stems from a decision to restart dinner service after it fell by the wayside under previous operators, Barbara said.
"When we first opened, we were doing $300 or $400 a night in sales, and you've got two waitresses, two cooks, a
dishwaser and a cashier," she said. "Now, Tuesday through Thursday is pretty consistent, $1,600 or $1,800 a night,
and Fridays is $2,500 a night. And Saturday has really picked up. It was our slowest night to come around, but a lot of times
Saturday will outdo Friday night."
In the video above, Barbara and Casey, now the general manager, discuss their strategy for rehabilitating
the Steer-In while keeping its nostalgic flavor; how carry-out and delivery orders have contributed to sales; and how they
struggle to find and keep good employees as business grows.
|
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.