• Melissa Haskin
• Archie's Grill

Shelburne-area residents can rejoice: Now under new ownership, Archie's Grill has opened its doors and is serving up burgers once again. Unless you're in the mood for a doughnut appetizer at the Dunkin' Donuts that now occupies its old spot, though, you'll want to hop across the street to 4066 Shelburne Road.

In its new iteration, Archie's ups the local focus. Manager Michael Henzel says soups are made in-house using local ingredients, and dressings are mixed from scratch. Burgers will still feature LaPlatte River Angus Farm beef, while the meat for turkey burgers will come from Misty Knoll Farms in New Haven. Other locally sourced ingredients include bacon (Harrington's of Vermont), ice cream (Kingdom Creamery of Vermont) and cheese (Cabot creamery, Shelburne Farms).

Patrons can find a familiar menu at Archie's — burgers, shakes, hot dogs, fries, salads — with a few additions: another vegetarian burger, a few more salads, sweet-potato fries. The grill currently has five local beers and one cider on tap.

Former owner Dick Hess will stick around for the first few months of operations to help new owners Tim Williams and Doug Nedde. While this is Williams' first foray into food, he's owned several previous businesses and describes himself as a longtime Archie's eater.

"This place was a local institution," says Williams. "It was just too good of a thing to let die." The grill's former space had already been sold when Williams took over, so when one across the street opened up, he took it. "It's a great space, and parking is better," he says.

When Archie's unofficially opened last Tuesday morning, things were still coming together. Williams' wife was helping arrange just-delivered rugs, while Henzel took orders. Menu chalkboards rested against a wall, waiting to be hung. "We probably served 30 to 40 people so far today," said Henzel before dinner.

On Tuesday, January 12, the soft opening was over, and locals seemed ready to welcome Archie's back. "This is what you've all been waiting for!" the restaurant's Facebook page announced on Monday. One excited patron had a succinct response: "YeaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAA- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- AAWWWWW WWWW!!!"