M & M Restaurant Celebrates a Half Century of Business in Sussex

Back in 1961, there weren’t a whole lot of eating establishments to choose from in Sussex. However, a certain restaurant established 50 years ago became a popular place to gather, eat and socialize in town.

Today, the maintains that same inviting atmosphere at the same location on Main Street near Highway 74.

“For many years, we were one of the few restaurants in town so it was the gathering spot for a lot of the guys in the morning,” said Didier Babits, M & M’s current owner. “We’re strictly breakfast and lunch and are probably known more for breakfast than anything else.”

Babits’ parents, Steve and Nicole, purchased the business 33 years ago and he’s been involved in the business off and on for more than 20. M & M offers a simple menu of classic diner fare including sandwiches, salad, soup, fish, chicken and a number of dessert choices.

“My father is Hungarian and my mother is French,” said Babits. "They’re the ones who originally started it 33 years ago. It’s a blue collar and pretty laid back restaurant. Most of our customers know each other and we have a lot of retirees in town." 

One of the main reasons there are so many regular customers (80 percent are repeat customers) at the M & M Restaurant is the fact they know they can count on getting an enormous meal for a reasonable price.

“For breakfast, we always have a $2.95 special and a $3.25 special and we serve biscuits and gravy, corned beef hash, pancakes, a stuffed omelet with ham, cheese, sausage and hashed browns,” said Babits. “Our lunches feature comfort foods, anything from meat loaf, Hungarian goulash on Wednesdays, and Salisbury steaks, the basics.”

The Babits family has always been comfortable doing business in Sussex. They enjoy the community and its people, a feeling that’s been mutual.

“Sussex is a viable ,” said Babits. “It was very much a farm community but now it’s switched over a lot with all of the subdivisions. In a lot of ways, there’s a big mix of people here.”

Still, a large part of the restaurant's repeat customer base is comprised of the local workforce, working men and women who stop by for breakfast or lunch. Lately, the harsh economy has cut into that customer base, but Babits remains encouraged because he is still able to offer quality meals at affordable rates.

“With the economy, we’ve taken a lot of hits,” said Babits. “We’re missing a lot of the workers from the factories around here that usually run 30-40 people now are down to a dozen or up to 20 people. Obviously, we don’t have the construction people right now, but we’ve hung on pretty well because of the fact that we do have a lot of repeat customers and many who come are the retirees that do live in town. They know they can come here and that we’re very affordable. It helps them out.”