FREDERICKTOWN — The Brake family has two goals in mind for running a successful restaurant in Fredericktown: great customer service and serving quality food.

Brothers Nate and Mike Brake, along with Mike’s wife, Heather Brake, own Brake Brothers Grill, a new restaurant at 138 N. Main St. that opened April 26.

Brake Brothers Grill is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Mike and Heather Brake purchased the former health food store, Taste of Country, in April and transformed it into a breakfast and lunch spot in just two months.

“We had talked for a long time about starting a restaurant,” Mike said.

Before committing to the new venture, Mike and Heather asked Nate if he wanted to join them.

Nate has nearly three decades of restaurant experience, having worked at Bob Evans and Lanning’s Foods.

“When this came available, I knew that I wanted my brother,” Mike said. “I don’t know what would have happened if he had said no.”

The Brake family emphasizes customer service and food quality as the foundation of their business.

“It comes back to when we were at Bob Evans,” Mike said. “That was our model when we first started — we wanted good food and good customer service.”

With profit margins in the restaurant industry being notoriously thin, Mike said it’s important to stick to those core values.

“I can see how a small-town place like this can be difficult to keep open,” he said. “That’s why, for us, it’s like, OK — customer service and good food — we have to keep that up to stand out.”

Brake Brothers Grill menu

The restaurant features separate breakfast and lunch menus. Heather said they may expand to include dinner in the future.

For breakfast lovers, the menu includes made-to-order eggs, cheesy potatoes, a variety of meats, and bread options.

“You can’t get the cheesy potatoes from Heather’s recipe anywhere else,” Nate said.

Lunch items include smash burgers, shakes, and pasta salads.

One standout is the “Meat Tornado” — a burrito filled with various meats, inspired by a joke from the television show “Parks and Recreation.”

These signature items, Mike said, help build a memorable and appealing menu, especially for breakfast and lunch.

Before opening the restaurant, the Brake family completely remodeled the interior, removing walls, repainting, and installing new seating.

“At the end, if you really care about the place, which I think we all do — it’ll pay off,” Nate said.