ADRIAN — For George and Alex Trejo, working in the restaurant business is part of a family tradition. When the brothers saw that the old Big Boy restaurant in Adrian was vacant, they got the idea of opening their own family restaurant, The Golden Griddle.
“Seeing this building for a long time, just being empty,” George said, made them decide “let’s start investigating.”
The Trejo brothers have lived in Adrian for 17 years. They started working in restaurants as dishwashers and worked their way up, George said. Family members, including a brother and cousins, already owned family restaurants in Brooklyn and Blissfield, which was a motivator for the brothers.
While the building hasn’t changed structurally, The Golden Griddle, which seats 140 guests, is upgraded with flooring tables, chairs and an upgraded, enlarged kitchen.
“It’s so much bigger than it used to be,” Alex said.
All the mechanical, electrical and equipment is upgraded as well, George said.
The menu includes breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Breakfast items include traditional favorites, such as eggs and toast, and specialties like omelets, skillets and griddle items.
The lunch menu includes 20 types of sandwiches, including a Monte Cristo, a Reuben, a French Dip and a Big Jim. Seven varieties of burgers are available. Salads include a Cobb salad, gyro salad and chef salad. Hot sandwiches include roast beef, ham, meatloaf and turkey.
Wraps can be ordered in a chicken bacon ranch and a Tuscan wrap, as well as four other varieties.
“I’ve never had a wrap the way we make them,” George said.
Items on the dinner menu come with three sides. The menu includes entrees such as grilled chicken teriyaki and four types of stirfry, as well as a New York strip steak. Also available are traditional favorites such as country-fried steak, fried chicken, and dinners such as roast beef, liver and onions, meatloaf, boneless pork chops, and breaded veal cutlets.
Also on the dinner menu are seafood items, such as fish and chips, fried perch, jumbo fried shrimp, fried scallops, baked tilapia and a seafood platter. Pasta items include ravioli, chicken and veal parmigiana, lasagna, and spaghetti.
George said the brothers’ goal is to serve their town with the best food possible every day.
“More than anything we’re going to try to give out the best all the time,” he said.
The Golden Griddle is located at 126 N. Broad St. in Adrian. Online ordering and carryout is available. The menu, including updated daily specials, can be found on their Facebook page. The restaurant can be reached by phone at 517-265-9277.
Hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.