By Moses Leos III.
They served their country in our nation’s armed forces. Now, Dan’s Hamburgers is serving them.
For the past three years, the iconic Austin area hamburger chain, including the location in Buda, provided free meals to all veterans on Veterans Day.
Katie Congdon, daughter of late founder Dan Junk, is the current owner of Dan’s Hamburgers. She said giving free meals to veterans is the company’s chance to give back.
Congdon herself has ties to the military, as her brother-in-law served in Vietnam. She wants to raise awareness of the initiative to veterans in the area.
“We like to honor those who have served in our armed forces,” Congdon said. “It has grown as more people are aware of it.”
Grown it has, as the restaurant averages $1,200 to $1,500 worth of free meals given to veterans every year, across all locations.
The word is slowly spreading amongst the community and veteran groups, according to Congdon. More and more are coming in each year.
But the company does not advertise the campaign. Rather, they let the service speak for itself. Word of mouth is the strongest promoter for the benefit, with Congdon saying continued awareness is the key.
The restaurant opens its entire menu to veterans – no meal is off limits. That includes their hamburgers, which were named the “best hamburger” by the Hays Free Press in 2011.
But breakfast is where Congdon’s seen the most veterans. She often sits down and talks with them, learning that many of them served in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
The initiative has been successful, according to Congdon. Its popularity has grown more and more, especially at the Buda location, which many veterans frequent.
Buda’s location is where Kyle/Buda Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 12058 Commander Dwight Stewart and the Honor Guard visited this Veterans Day.
After raising the American flag at Chuck Nash Chevrolet in San Marcos, the Honor Guard looked for breakfast before heading to Cabela’s for another function.
By chance, they stopped by Dan’s. While some Post members were aware of the restaurant’s initiative, Stewart was not.
To his surprise, all of their meals were gratis. It was an experience he now wishes to forward to post members for next year.
“I like how (Dan’s) supports veterans. I will go back for that reason,” Stewart said. “Whenever someone supports our group, we let people know they support veterans, and direct them to their business.”
Continuing the initiative is important for Congdon, who sees it as a necessary service.
“There is not enough done for our veterans. I’m grateful for what veterans have done for us,” Congdon said. “Everyone should do it.”
