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Shady Glen, officially Shady Glen Dairy Stores, is a restaurant in
2012 James Beard Foundation
The "Bernice Original" drew the attention of the Food Network's show The Best Thing I Ever Ate and was featured on their "Cheesy" episode, Season 2, Episode 3.
In early summer 2010, the Bernice Original -- named "the best burger in Hartford County" -- was accidentally altered due to what the owners of Shady Glen say is their cheese distributor's recipe having changed. Subsequently, the owners announced they had managed to acquire cheese in the proper formulation from a different distributor.
It was the example set by John and Bernice – their sincere concern for customer and employee alike – which induced William J. Hoch’s father to request work for his son, a cousin of the Riegs, in 1953. Starting at the age of 15, William paid his way through high school and college while working part-time at Shady Glen. In 1970 after 17 years with the company, he became Executive Manager in complete charge of operations.
John C. Rieg died on August 1, 2003, at the age of 89, and Bernice A. Rieg died on August 30, 2007, at the age of 91. Ownership passed on to Executive Manager William J. Hoch and his wife Annette after Bernice's death; William died on May 25, 2017. Shady Glen is now run by William Hoch's son.
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. John and Bernice Rieg opened the first Shady Glen store near the Manchester/Bolton town line in 1948 and a second store in the Manchester Parkade shopping center in 1965. The second location closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Shady Glen is locally famous for its homemade-style ice cream, signature Bernice Original "winged" cheeseburger, and vintage 1950s style diner and service. In 2012, it was recognized by the James Beard Foundation as an " American Classic".Winners2012 James Beard Foundation
History of Shady Glen Dairy Farm and Store
In 1946, John and Bernice Rieg decided to expand their farm into making and selling ice cream. TheUniversity of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
at the time had a strong program for helping farmers to diversify, and the Riegs worked with Leonard R. Dowd, Professor of Dairy Manufacturing in UConn’s Department of Animal Industries, on their first formulas for ice cream.
Ice cream sold well during the summer months but to some extent ice cream sales are seasonal, and emphasis was therefore placed on developing a sandwich menu. After much experimenting, Bernice invented the “Bernice Original” cheeseburger in 1949. What makes the Bernice Original unique as far as cheeseburgers are concerned is the way the cheese is prepared and presented: it is fried directly on the grill until it has four crisp corners, or wings, and these protrude far out from under the top bun like a crown when the burger is served.
The "Bernice Original" drew the attention of the Food Network's show The Best Thing I Ever Ate and was featured on their "Cheesy" episode, Season 2, Episode 3.
In early summer 2010, the Bernice Original -- named "the best burger in Hartford County" -- was accidentally altered due to what the owners of Shady Glen say is their cheese distributor's recipe having changed. Subsequently, the owners announced they had managed to acquire cheese in the proper formulation from a different distributor.
It was the example set by John and Bernice – their sincere concern for customer and employee alike – which induced William J. Hoch’s father to request work for his son, a cousin of the Riegs, in 1953. Starting at the age of 15, William paid his way through high school and college while working part-time at Shady Glen. In 1970 after 17 years with the company, he became Executive Manager in complete charge of operations.
John C. Rieg died on August 1, 2003, at the age of 89, and Bernice A. Rieg died on August 30, 2007, at the age of 91. Ownership passed on to Executive Manager William J. Hoch and his wife Annette after Bernice's death; William died on May 25, 2017. Shady Glen is now run by William Hoch's son.
See also
* List of hamburger restaurantsReferences
{{coord, 41.7856, -72.4851, display=title Buildings and structures in Hartford County, Connecticut Companies based in Manchester, Connecticut Economy of Manchester, Connecticut Hamburger restaurants in the United States Restaurants established in 1948 Restaurants in Connecticut Tourist attractions in Hartford County, Connecticut America's Classics winners