Photo/Brandie Bartelt

Every summer, the BQ Corral opens to serve the Lusk community an array of delectable treats, just like it has since 1964. And the region is starting to take notice.

“If you haven’t already, one day you should find yourself in Lusk, Wyo…Whatever your reason for passing through Lusk, do not merge back into the world of undulating grass before stopping by the B-Q Corral,” an article in the Denver Post, printed July 15, said.

The article goes on to describe the B-Q Corral as a diner straight “from a 1966 movie, something involving a Dodge Charger, Steve McQueen in aviator sunglasses, Nancy Sinatra singing ‘These boots are made for walking’ and an Amana refrigerator full of Schlitz.”

And that is exactly the image that B-Q owner, Jane Price, is shooting for.

“What we are dealing with here is a 1964 building that we try to keep very original,” she said. “We have tried to keep it preserved for the 1960s – that era,”

The B-Q has the same speakers that it did when it opened. There are no car-hops, just a speaker that tells you when your food is ready.

The building does have a new roof, Price said, but that is the only major change.

“We made an all new menu but it was pretty much in with the type of things that they ate back in the 50s and 60s,” she said. “We have people from all over the world stop and of course they want to take a picture of this old thing.”

Price has personally met visitors from Holland, Japan and Israel. All of them, she said, were very interesting.

Price took over ownership of the B-Q 14 years ago, it was originally owned by Al Titchner.

When Price and her husband, Ron, retired they initially planned on hopping in an RV and seeing the world. But after about eight months, she said she was board to death and wanted a place to nest.

Then she heard about a diner for sale in Lusk.

“We thought this would be ideal,” Price said. “We could just run the diner in the summer and then in the winter when its cold we can just run the motor home.”

Running a diner, Price said, is the perfect job for her.

“I’m a people person and I love being around people,” she said. “I’m over there as much as I can and I still have a lot to do with it. It’s just a very interesting place to live and you meet a lot of very interesting people and it’s just a fun place.”

With all kinds of new things out there, sometimes it’s just nice to take a step back in time to eat a hamburger and shake.

“They’ve got all these new fancy places but this is kind of like a thing of the past that’s still going,” Price said. “That’s our aim – to keep it like it used to be.”





For the complete article see the 08-12-2009 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 08-12-2009 paper.