Mr. B’s Rustic Tavern in downtown Howell, was recently bought out by the owner of Diamonds Steak and Seafood, Adam Merkel. Many changes have been brought to the restaurant such as a new menu and a renovation of half the building for an expansion. Mr. B’s will also be receiving a new name early in 2016.

My first impressions of the “new” restaurant were that is was a cheerful western style place. There’s neon lit signs and a unique moose above the doorway.

As I walked through the doors of Mr. B’s, I was greeted by a smiling employee. They took my request of where I wanted to sit, and my server was at my table within the next couple minutes. As I glanced around the room, I noticed couples, families, and younger people that are dining also. All the servers are wearing black tees with black aprons and look happy to be there. The menu is short, well organized, and to the point.

To drink I had a water and coffee, because I am not a fan of coke products. I skipped the appetizer and went straight to the meal. Turns out I was in luck, because from Mon-Thurs, 3-6 p.m., they offer a “Happy Hour”. This is a time period where all their burgers are half off. I went with the Muenster Pub burger and happy dust fries. This is a burger with a brioche bun, smoked bacon, and muenster cheese.

My food was delivered to me within five minutes and the burger tasted scrumptious. I couldn’t decide if I was a fan of the fries, so I asked the waitress the recipe of the secret “happy dust” fries. The fries are a mixture of ranch, sugar, salt, and pepper, and once mentioned I could definitely taste the sugar. I felt as if I had ordered an elephant ear from the fair.

“The fries make me happy and confused”, customer, Colin Pennala says.

My meal turned out to be very cheap and affordable for my high school wallet. Also, all the workers were very friendly and good at their job.

“Our restaurant is proud of how friendly all our coworkers are and how we are like a family,” senior Zach Brown says. Brown is a busser at Mr. B’s and feels that since they got their new manager they’ve had good service, good food, and good prices.

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the new and improved restaurant a 9.5. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a restaurant with better quality food and service, with that low of prices.