Business Profile: Jake’s Wayback Burgers, Hartsdale
Located on the White Plains border at 357 N. Central Avenue, cousins Debra DeCrescenzo and Debbie Smith opened Jake’s Wayback Burgers, a franchise fast food, but good food, burger restaurant about two years ago.
Having spent much of their lives working in other fields, though DeCrescenzo has experience as a pastry chef – she went to The New York Restaurant School – the cousins have found they love working in a business serving the public.
“We were looking for something different to pursue and decided we’d look at various franchises. It took some time and we came upon Jake’s Wayback Burgers. We liked the way the company operated and decided we’d give it a try,” said DeCrescenzo.
When they opened on Central Avenue, they were the first Jake’s in the area.
The restaurant has the feel of a regular burger joint when you walk in – there is a soda station off to one side and a large counter – but as soon as you look at the menu you know there’s a difference.
For starters, there’s much more variety. In addition to beef burgers that can be stacked and smothered with all sorts of toppings, there are veggie burgers, turkey burgers, and a grilled chicken sandwich. The menu also features the Wayback hot dog with bacon, cheese, onions and a special sauce, a chilidog and the classic dog with mustard and relish.
There are a dozen or so different milkshake flavors and sides include nachos, onion rings and sauce, cheese fries, chili-cheese fries, house-made chips and home-style chili. There is a chicken Caesar salad and garden salad and a children’s menu featuring grilled cheese and chicken tenders.
One of the popular specialties is the ability to create your own burger with a large selection of sauces and condiments such as jalapenos, mushrooms, sweet peppers, grilled onions, bacon, chili, BBQ sauce, chipotle, Buffalo bleu sauce, ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce and tomato.
Each month there is a Burger if the Month and a Milkshake of the Month. August features grilled chicken with cheddar cheese and bacon on a pretzel bun with ranch dressing. The milkshake is Boomin Berry.
One wall is filed with crayoned sheets posted by children who color in the Jake’s character on the back of the menu. Smith says the children come back to check that their drawing is still on the wall.
There is also a TV set at the back of the seating area and a fresh cup of coffee is available for anyone who doesn’t want soda or a milkshake.
Having recently signed a sponsorship agreement with the Greenburgh Nature Center just down the road, DeCrescenzo is excited to be involved with an organization she feels is important. Jake’s will supply food and samples for events held at the center.
“On the one hand we are supporting a wonderful organization and on the other, we are getting our name out there,” DeCrescenzo said.
Both of the cousins find the location along Central Avenue busy, but they still want to get the word out about their venture.
“We looked at downtown White Plains, but the rents for the size space we needed were just too high. We thought something along the Central Avenue shopping strip would be better. Our customer base is still growing,” explained Smith, who is the very pleasant and smiling person behind the counter who greets you when you enter.
To attract senior citizens, who like to eat dinner during the late afternoon hours when the restaurant is quiet, Jake’s has a senior early bird special going Monday through Thursday for a free drink or side fries with a sandwich or burger.
Down the road they plan to hold Sunday family days coordinated with events taking place at the Greenburgh Nature Center, where kids can make their own sundae and get their faces painted.
The restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Parking is free.
