How to go
Where: Fairhaven Farm Corn, 1722 Jasper Road, Xenia
When: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed Sundays
Cost: Baker’s dozen of sweet corn is $4.50
Contact: (937) 372-2238
XENIA — No, it’s not McDonald’s. It’s not Taco Bell, either. It’s the Fairhaven Farm sweet corn drive-thru in Xenia.
Linda and Daryl Siders started the business 25 years ago to teach son Seth and daughter Jennifer how to work.
Not only was the farm a place for the Siders’ children to begin working, but it also has become a place for others to learn.
Throughout the years, “We’ve had more than 50 kids working here. I feel really blessed to have a place to teach kids how to do a good job,” Daryl said.
During their first year selling corn, the family earned $34. However, “it’s never been about the money. It’s all about the quality,” Daryl said. “The idea has always been to sell corn that I would want to eat.”
The farm has not always had a drive-thru, though. The drive-thru was built in 1991 as an “added convenience,” Daryl said.
“Let’s face it: in our world, no one wants to spend time doing anything,” he said. “The first year we tried the drive-thru, it was an instant hit.”
Now, it averages 120 cars a day, and the business has customers from all over.
“We have a lot of customers from North Carolina, Iowa, Virginia, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Florida,” Daryl said. Additionally, “A lot of local business comes from word of mouth.”
“We’ve had some customers with us all 25 years. They give us a reason to keep working,” Daryl said.
Customer Joan Gastineau is one of the farm’s loyal customers. “Someone in my family comes by here at least once a week, sometimes even twice,” she said.
The farm will close for the season this week, though, but will re-open July 5, 2011.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409 or estudy@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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