Thorn said she wasn't worried when a McDonald's opened recently across the street from her hamburger outlet. The competition from the super chain hasn't hurt Brand X at all, she said.
"We have been busier since they've been here," she said. "The kid's meals have even increased."
Thorn lives next to her business, making the commute to work short. "I've beat a path in that asphalt," she said, pointing at the small parking lot between Brand X and her home. She and her husband Bryce Thorn began Brand X with a blue truck they cooked burgers in. Bryce Thorn died 11 years ago; Deanna Thorn has been running the business since then.
"He said, 'We're going to do this, and we're going to be Brand X,' " Thorn said. " He said, 'We'll compete with anybody.' "
Bryce Thorn cleared the land, they parked the truck and began selling hamburgers. It cost the Thorns $1,300 to go into business, and they sold $35 worth of hamburgers the first day. The current building was opened in January of 1985.
"We've never from the day we opened been without customers," Thorn said.
The key to Brand X's success lies in two secret recipes for seasoning salt developed by Bryce Thorn. The salts are now prepared personally by Deanna Thorn in her kitchen; she is the only person who knows the recipes.
One seasoning salt is used on the meat, while the other is sprinkled on Brand X's fries and tater babies.