If you grew up in Benton Harbor or St. Joseph in the 60s and 70s, you probably have a memory that includes the ‘Roxy Burger’. It’s a unique creation that’s often imitated, but seldom duplicated, according to the ‘burger experts’ who populate social media and frequently discuss (argue?) about the current status (and present home) of the Roxy Burger.
In recent years, the crowd seemed to agree that the Roxy Burger was alive and well at the Grand Crossing Bar, 1010 Pipestone Street in Benton Harbor. Tim and Sherrie Zerbel staked claim to owning two places that served the Roxy Burger: The Grand Crossing and the Roxy Drive In on M-139. The drive in closed several years ago, so the Grand Crossing became the Home of the Roxy Burger. And the Zerbel’s little business quietly thrived turning out those burgers. But then… it came time for Tim and Sherrie to retire. What would happen to the heritage of the Roxy Burger?
As of last month, the Roxy Burger—and the Grand Crossing—are in the hands of new ‘Keepers of the Flame’. Trish and Jay Adams have purchased the Grand Crossing—and are making a solemn pledge to all those burger lovers out there that NOTHING about the Roxy Burger will change.
Trish Adams told us they even made it a point to keep things quiet until now “ We were very careful about making a big splash. We didn’t want to get anyone concerned. The customers really care about the place. They don’t want anyone to mess it up!”
Jay Adams agreed. “It’s different than opening a new restaurant or a franchise. This is about the heart. People love the Roxy Burger. It was a part of their life and they connect with that memory. We’re coming into their World. They sincerely don’t want us to screw it up! And we won’t.”
Trish and Jay are no strangers to the restaurant business. They have owned the Popeye’s franchise on Napier Avenue for 22 years and own the Popeye’s in Niles. Earlier, they operated a convenience store called Central Station at Exit 23 in Stevensville.
Jay says they weren’t looking to buy a bar, but the Grand Crossing sort of ‘found them.’ “There was a real chance it might close. Tim had it for sale for a while and there were no takers. That would have been a shame. We couldn’t let that happen. It really turned into an opportunity, especially with our son Nick available to run it day to day.” Nick Adams is the new manager at Grand Crossing.
Sherrie Zerbel ran Grand Crossing with husband Tim for 21 years and told us she’ll miss it. “Bittersweet. A lot of blood, sweat & tears went in. We built up a heck of a business. We’re so grateful to the community for supporting us, especially through Covid. It’s been a wonderful experience for us.”
Sherrie is uniquely qualified to talk about those Roxy Burgers—she’s been making them for decades. We asked what makes them special? “it’s in the ingredients. Everything is fresh. The beef, the lettuce, the tomatoes, everything is fresh! And we use certain brand names, we don’t change them when something’s on sale.”
Sherrie says the rest of the Roxy Burger flavor comes from the grill. “The grill is ‘seasoned.’ It’s the juices from thousands of burgers and the other ingredients, sanitized by the heat but creating the special flavor.” She says it’s not how old the grill is, but how it’s been consistently used to make the same burgers. And the memories: “People love Roxy Burgers. They grew up on them. When they come back to town, they want one. And we’ve got them.”
Sherrie says she can only make 12-16 burgers at a time on the Grand Crossing grill. And if they replaced it, much of that special Roxy Burger flavor could be lost. Sherrie has agreed to stay on at Grand Crossing for a few months, as well as sharing her recipes, to help in the transition.
It’s that Roxy Burger ‘mystique’ that the Adams’ believe will drive their success at Grand Crossing, along with gaining greater awareness of the place as what Trish calls ‘a cozy corner bar’.
Jay adds with a smile, “It’s a Dive Bar…and we’re proud of that. People are looking for the best Dive Bar. It’s RIGHT HERE!”,
Grand Crossing only seats about 40 people. Trish and Jay think they may be able to increase that a bit with a better interior layout. However, they’ve been surprised at the large volume of Carry Out business, especially at lunchtime. “The phone starts ringing at 10:30 AM and never stops.” Large group orders often come in from Whirlpool, Gast and InterCare, according to Jay.
Besides several variations of Roxy Burgers, Grand Crossing features a lineup of sandwiches, hot dogs, homemade soup and chili and a long list of ‘sides’ to fill up your basket.
They are open Tuesday thru Saturday at 11 AM. The grill is ‘hot’ until 7:45 Tuesday-Thursday and until 8:30 Friday and Saturday nights. There is ample parking across the street in their own lot. Grand Crossing is located just a couple of blocks West of M-139 at the corner of Pipestone and Milton Streets.
Phone orders go to 269-925-6033.
By Gayle Olson, MOTM Contributor
Photos: Nick, Jay, Trish Adams
Tim & Sherrie Zerbel’s “seasoned grill”
