Dairy Dip Diner (Mulberry)

Located in Mulberry (Crawford County) just off Interstate 40 is the Dairy Dip Diner, locally owned and operated since the early 1950s. Advertised as a “piece of Arkansas History,” the Dairy Dip became an established local favorite. This 1950s-style diner’s slogan is: “If you don’t see it, ask if we can make it!” The business changed names over the years as it changed hands, from Reynolds Dairy Dip (also advertised as Reynolds Dairy Dip Drive-in) to the Mulberry Dairy Dip, and finally to the Dairy Dip Diner. There are two locations: the original in Mulberry and one established in 2019 in Van Buren (Crawford County). 

World War II U.S. Army veteran Eaul Reynolds, along with wife Marie Reynolds—both Arkansas natives and residents of Mulberry—opened the malt shop in June 1952. An entrepreneur, Eual Reynolds had run a café and take-out prior to opening what was then called “Reynolds Dairy Dip Drive-in.” In a Crawford County Bulletin advertisement, the new business is described as a “new ice cream and malt dispensory” [sic]. In its first iteration, the business shared a space with the Bounds Barber Shop and was located on U.S. Highway 64 West.  

Early offerings included ice cream, malts, milkshakes, candies, confections, and cigarettes. Over the years, the diner’s menu expanded to include hamburgers (advertised as cheaper by the sack full), foot-long hotdogs, and French fries—and tamales and chili dogs for a time. In the twenty-first century, the Dairy Dip serves a full breakfast and lunch/dinner menu with some original items like burgers, fries, and ice cream but with new additions like breakfast plates (named after various makes of 1950s and 1960s cars), fish baskets, and salads.  

After its ownership by the Reynoldses, the diner continued to be run by local families including Dalton “Trixie” and Marsha Edwards, James and Joyce Shepherd, Jeff Marvin, and Nathan Hunter; Leonard (Len) Cernak took over in 2015. Over the years, the drive-in turned into a diner as owners added east and west wings to accommodate seating. While Cernak ran the business side of things, his wife, Patricia Cernak, transformed the restaurant into the 1950s-style diner it is today—painting the diner turquoise inside and out, laying down black-and-white checkered flooring, decorating the walls using vinyl records and other Americana, and including a jukebox.  

In 2023, Cernak said he was retiring from working full time in the restaurant but would continue to serve as co-owner with Jeff Marvin. 

For additional information:
Dairy Dip Diner. https://www.dairydipdiners.com/ (accessed April 8, 2025). 

Saccente, Thomas. “Dairy Dip Owner Looking to Sell.” Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, October 8, 2023. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2023/oct/08/dairy-dip-owner-looking-to-sell/ (accessed April 8, 2025). 

Roxy Wylie and Steven K. Kite
University of Arkansas at Fort Smith