Published: January 30, 2006 11:29 am            

Bryant's Eatery

From gyros to salads

In the 1950s, the building was a Dairy Queen.

Judy Ridenour remembers living only two blocks away as a child on Kokomo's north side.

"When I was a little kid, we used to walk over here to get ice cream," she said.

The building at 2016 N. Washington St. (MAP) eventually became a Subway restaurant.

Judy Ridenour and her husband, Warren, bought it from Subway owner Craig Hart in early 2004.

That April they opened Bryant's Eatery, which serves a variety of salads, sandwiches, dinners and side orders.

"We're probably the only place in town that has rabbit dinners," Judy Ridenour said.

Gyros are the most popular food item. Judy Ridenour said Bryant's gyros are about 90 percent beef and 10 percent lamb.

The 8-ounce gyro sandwich is $4. It is broiled and served on pita bread with onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce.

Priced at $6, the gyro dinner plate includes a small salad, french fries, gyro meat, pita bread and tzatziki sauce.

The barbecued ribs -- $13.25 for a full rack, $9.25 for a half rack -- and the 1-pound barbecued rib tips also are popular.

Four of Judy Ridenour's family members, including her sister Peggy Hancock, are among Bryant's seven employees.

Hancock said she enjoys her job. "It wouldn't be the same if I had to work for strangers," she said, adding customers respond to the family-run atmosphere.

"They like that personal touch that you remember them when they come in," she said.

Judy Ridenour said providing such an atmosphere can take up to 60 or 70 hours per week.

"You've got to be here a lot," she said. "It ain't a job you can go home and just forget about."

Despite the schedule, Judy Ridenour smiles when talking about her business.

"It's overwhelming," she said. "I think the people who say 'When you start a business, you pay yourself first,' haven't started a business."

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Bryant's Eatery

OWNERS: Judy and Warren Ridenour

WHERE: 2016 N. Washington St.

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; closed Sun.

SELECTED MENU ITEMS:

- Salads: Gyro salad; chicken salad; Greek salad

- Sandwiches: Gyro sandwich; Italian sausage; tenderloin; roast beef

- Dinners: Gyro plate; barbecued ribs (full or half); shrimp basket; fish dinner; "hawg" wings

- Side items: Chicken tenders; french fries; breaded mushrooms; mac and cheese triangles; pita bread

- Dessert: Baklava

PAYMENT OPTIONS: Cash only

SERVICES: Call ahead for carryout; delivery available with $30 order

CONTACT: (765) 236-0430

        

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