Meers, OK
Meersburger and a Side Order of History
by Robyn Hoffman
Meers, Okla., isn’t even a dot on most state road maps, but that doesn’t keep people from flocking to the town of three people, four dogs, and 19 cats.
“People don’t need maps to find us,” says Joe Maranto, 70. “I think everybody knows where Meers is.” Maranto may be right. Hungry folks from all over the world flock to his Meers Store and Restaurant, all that’s left of the former boomtown in the Wichita Mountains. They come for the food, atmosphere, and the opportunity to revisit the past.
“This is a slice of Americana you won’t find anywhere else,” says Maranto, the storeowner of 18 years. The large shanty covered with antique tin advertisements is home of the “world famous” Meersburger, a 7-inch burger made exclusively from Texas longhorn beef raised on the Maranto family’s ranch by Maranto, his wife, Margie, and their son, Houston. Scuzzy, the hound, and many other pets have shared the Marantos’ home.
“People are crazy about the Meersburger,” Maranto says. “It keeps people coming back to this little old spot in the road.”
They come from far and near. A customer from Tulsa, Okla., heard about Meers and its popular burger while visiting the Great Wall of China, Maranto says. People from Pakistan, Germany, Australia, Libya, and places in between have signed their names in the guest book.
“The Meersburger is the best burger in the country,” says Jeff Smith, a regular customer from Wichita Falls, Texas. “I would travel any distance just to satisfy my cravings for it.” The secret is the lean Longhorn beef he grinds fresh daily, Maranto says. The meat is leaner than most beef.
“A hamburger doesn’t have to be greasy to be good,” he says. “We’ve obviously proved that.” The menu includes more than hamburgers. The restaurant serves everything from barbecue beef ribs, beef brisket, steaks, and more—seven days a week.
“This is beef country,” Maranto says. “But we have barbecue chicken for the people who don’t know any better.”
Food isn’t the only attraction. The old building has housed everything from a drugstore, doctor’s office, and newspaper since Meers was founded in 1901 as a gold mining camp. The town boasted 500 people at its peak in 1903.
“It better look old and worn, or it’s not Meers,” Maranto says of his building. “It’s part of the Meers experience.”
Maranto does everything he can to preserve the original look inside and out. His customers demand it. When he tried to repair a leaky portion of ceiling, a woman begged him to leave it alone.
“It leaked like a sieve, but she didn’t want me to take away that little bit of atmosphere,” Maranto says. “She was more than willing to eat at a table with a bucket on it to catch the rainwater.” Maranto repaired the leak, but left the water-stained ceiling portion there.
Because of fire codes, Maranto also had to take down more than 35,000 business cards customers had plastered on the ceiling and walls.
“I had people calling me from all over the world asking for some of those business cards when they found out,” he says. “We mailed out stacks and stacks of them.” Mike Wilson of Carnegie, Okla., (pop. 1,582) was sorry to see the cards go. “It was always fun to come in and see all those business cards,” Wilson says. “I think they added a lot of character to the place.”
The business cards are gone, but customers can still find something more personal and lasting. Three couples have married in the Meers Store and Restaurant.
“Who in the world would want to get married in this old place?” Maranto asks. “In all three cases, the couples say they fell in love at Meers.”
Robyn Hoffman is a freelance writer in Weatherford, Okla.
first appeared: 5/20/2001
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4/20/07 3:37 PM
The first time I visited Meers, OK was in around 1975 or 76. I was in a revival service at the Church of God in Lawton at 9th and Lee Streets. One of the couples took me and another preacher out to Meers. I have never seen anything like the burgers in that place. At that time that was the only thing they served (along with home-made apple pie), plus Fruit jars containing iced tea. I asked for a hamburger. The lady said "do you want a hamburger or a Meersburger?" I asked the difference, and her reply was "well, the Meersburger is a little bigger." I said I would have that, with cheese. When she brought it out, it was the size of a dinner plate, cut in four wedges. My friend ate his, half of mine and ordered another. I have been back once in 1981 and they were still big, but nothing compared to my first visit. I actually took a quarter pounder from McDonalds to the restaurant and sat it on my Meersburger and photographed it for comparison. It looked like a postage stamp on the bottom of a wash tub. The second and last time I went there (in 1981) there were ball caps from all over the country hanging on the ceiling. It is a little bit of Americana that I love to remember. I was told it used to be a drugstore, post office and I don't remember what else, but in the back, there were the little ancient bottles that had, at one time, held medicines. The part that was the post office still had the window. But of course, the last time I had gone there, I think some people from Fort Sill had bought it and I don't remember seeing the drugstore & post office. It is well worth the visit.
2/19/08 6:10 PM
There are a lot more people than just 3 living in Meers and havebeen for many years. The town of Meers does not include only the store; it includes all the outlying houses as well. For many years, before they lost the post office, I have lived in Meers near Camp Y'Shua with a zip code of 73558. I just wanted to point out that those three people are not the only only people who live in Meers.
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