Marlene's at The Big Chill celebrates 25 years

It’s been 25 years since Ben and Marlene Horst saw a “For Rent” sign on a small restaurant building while walking around the Graham downtown square.

The sign had a phone number on it. Ben turned to Marlene and said they should give it a call and give the restaurant business a shot.

“For two weeks I prayed, and one day I just woke up and said, ‘If this is really what you want to do, we'll do it.’ The rest is history,” Marlene said.

Marlene’s at The Big Chill celebrated its 25th anniversary this past week as the owners, employees and public came together to share gratitude for one of the longest-tenured restaurants in Graham.

The restaurant officially opened its doors Oct. 12, 1999, and since then business has been going strong. The anniversary celebration involved special lunch meals, gift certificate giveaways, buttermilk pies and free cake and coffee.

Due to various circumstances, the Horsts weren’t able to hold the celebration on the exact date this year, but plenty of people still turned up for the two-day celebration Tuesday, Oct. 22 and Wednesday, Oct. 23.

“We have had our ups and downs…but ultimately, God has blessed us,” Marlene said. “He gets the credit, and this town has been so faithful to us, we could never have done it without them or God.”

Neither Ben nor Marlene had any restaurant experience before taking the leap and starting this business. The closest thing to experience either of them had was Ben, who volunteered in a soup kitchen in Amarillo and loved making soups from scratch.

He wanted to build a menu starting with the original recipe soups, and the couple also decided to make homemade bread. 

Eventually, the menu developed into something they could provide customers for lunch and dinner.

“We started out with just lunch and dinner. But because we were up here so early, he said, ‘We may as well do some breakfast,’” Marlene said. “So we started doing breakfast too. Then when we found out the dinner part really didn't work, we changed hours from 7 (a.m.) to 2 (p.m.). It's been great ever since.”

When the business was first getting off the ground, the couple showed up at the restaurant at 6 a.m. every day and stayed there well into the evening. It led the two of them to work 60-70 hours a week, and they decided to dial the restaurant’s schedule back to the parts of the day that brought them the most success.

Over the years, the restaurant has seen its fair share of ups and downs. One of the highlights was when the popular travel TV show The Daytripper stopped in Graham and featured Marlene’s at The Big Chill.

However, Marlene said that the people of Graham, and all those who come from other places, are what make the business such a pleasant one. She said the biggest support and reason for continuing on has been their customers.

“They keep coming in, and then they bring more people with them,” Marlene said.

While the restaurant industry provides lots of smiles, it also can cause stress and difficulties. The owner said that one of the toughest things her husband and she have had to deal with over the years is when they get close to customers who then pass away.

“It’s hard when you get so close to them, and then they’re no longer with us,” she said.

But for 25 years, that’s been the life for Marlene and Ben. Their restaurant has flourished, and the relationships they’ve built within the community have been a blessing to the couple throughout all their years of work.

“We love the people we’ve met and we love to meet new people,” Marlene said. “Just thank you, Graham.”