Dairy farms to Dairy Freez, Couple ready to retire from Eunice mainstay
Christina Holt/News-Sun
Jim and Sherri Henneke went from milking cows to cooking them and now they are ready to head back home to southeast Texas for some well-earned rest.
“We enjoy the work but we’re looking to retire,” Jim said. “We want to move to southeast Texas and build a house on several acres.”
The Henneke’s were in the dairy business for about 30 years in southeast Texas and decided to do something different.
When the opportunity arose in 2009 to purchase the Dairy Freez in Eunice, they went for it.
And 15 years later, Jim and Sherri listed their business for sale.
Jim said they recently had a buyer but the person backed out, so it’s still for sale. But they will keep saving their money until its sold.
They’ve had others interested in purchasing the building to use a dispensary. However, the Eunice Municipal Schools has property directly behind the restaurant. State cannabis regulations prohibit dispensaries close to school property.
In the 1980’s, the restaurant was a Dairy Queen. The business sold in the 1990’s and it was renamed the Dairy Freez, according to Jim.
The cow on the Dairy Freez sign is named “Bob the Cow. We’ve always been in the dairy business,” Jim said laughing pointing at the sign.
Dairy Freez is one of the larger restaurants of about seven in Eunice, according to Jim and Sherri.
“The oilfield guys will rotate restaurants throughout the week so everyone gets a little business,” Sherri said.
Sherri’s favorite part about working at the restaurant is getting to know all the customers.
“You get to know people’s orders. When they hold up two fingers, you know they want two buffets,” Sherri said.
Dairy Freez is known for their buffet where Fish Friday’s is served as well as Pork Chop Night on Thursdays for $9.25 a plate, according to Sherri.
“People like quality food,” Sherri said. “We hand bread everything,” including their steak fingers and chicken strips.
Jim said they also serve BBQ on Tuesdays. Before purchasing a restaurant, Jim smoked meats and catered weddings and other events on the side.
The couple is from southeast Texas and moved to New Mexico in 1992 for a dairy job in Clovis. They decided to go into the restaurant business with Jim’s brother and wife in 2009.
In 2012, Jim and Sherri bought out their partners and became the sole owners.
Some may think owning a restaurant is tough work but the Henneke’s think working at a dairy is worse than owning a restaurant.
“They call you in the middle of the night about a cow,” Jim said. Owning a restaurant, the couple can make their own hours and decisions.
Jim met Sherri at her grandmother’s dairy farm and he “thought, I could marry her,” Jim said.
Sherri eventually wrote her address and phone number on a Dairy Queen napkin to give to Jim. They married in the summer of 1975 and the rest is history.
