Note to readers: Summer is officially here and for small, seasonal businesses it’s the kick-off to their peak season. Plant nurseries, greenhouses, ice cream stands, drive-ins, campgrounds and outdoor tourist attractions are among businesses that cater to summer activities. Over the course of the summer, Southern Indiana Business Report will feature some of these small businesses, the challenges they face as well as the upside of owning a seasonal business. Today, meet Todd and Blair Baker, owners of Bo-Mac’s Drive-In in Shoals.
Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
SHOALS – On warm summer nights, 20 years ago, high school sweethearts Todd Baker and Blair Dearwester would often stop at Bo-Mac’s for ice cream to cap off their date. Sitting beneath the vintage neon sign they joked, wouldn’t it be cool to own the iconic Shoals drive-in some day.
Todd and Blair graduated from Loogootee High School, went to college, got married and found jobs that took them away from Martin County for a while.
They would eventually move back to Martin County and in 2021, that off-handed notion of owning Bo-Mac’s came to fruition. The Ragsdale family, which owned Bo-Mac’s for about 60 years, was ready to retire and sell the drive-in. Todd said after meeting with the owners, it was an easy decision.
The Bakers are the third owners of Bo-Mac’s, which first opened in 1960 by two men from Vincennes who combined their names for the business’ moniker. Delores and Carlton Ragsdale became owners in August 1960 and operated it until April 2006. Their son Cecil took over ownership after their retirement.
Open from April to October, Bo-Mac’s employs a staff of about 22. Todd places special emphasis on knowing Bo-Mac’s is the first job for many of his young staff and he wants to instill in them a strong work ethic and prepare them for the jobs and careers in their future.
“I always tell them, Bo-Mac’s has been here forever. It’s bigger than us,” he said. “The food’s the easy part. We’re providing the place where the community can be together.”
Owning an iconic drive-in with a deep history to the community and customers is a responsibility Todd doesn’t take lightly.
“So many first dates happened here and they come back on their anniversaries to celebrate,” he said. “A family comes here from northern Indiana on Mother’s Day every year because their mother lived here and loved Bo-Mac’s.”
Bo-Mac’s is also popular with car clubs. Todd said a club of 1960 Mustang Shelby owners met in French Lick and cruised to Bo-Mac’s because Bo-mac’s founding year was 1960.
“There are so many neat stories like that of connections made with this place,” he said.
The legend of Bo-Mac’s has traveled far beyond the town of Shoals, population 700.
Todd recalled a message sent to the Bo-Mac’s Facebook page of a Bo-Mac’s hat at London’s Heathrow Airport.
“It was sent by a guy who grew up in Martin County and now he’s a pilot,” he said. So you never know where Bo-Mac’s may turn up.
During the 2024 solar eclipse, a group from South Africa and a family from France watched the eclipse from the Bo-Mac’s parking lot. That a drive-in can make so many different connections is part of the big picture for the Bakers.
How they got here
The path to owning Bo-Mac’s was about as winding as US 50 between Shoals and Loogootee for the Bakers. Todd always had a passion for food and barbecue was a hobby. But he pursued a degree in education and had dreams of being a basketball coach.
In 2017, the couple began the process to adopt their daughter. To raise funds, Todd turned to his barbecue hobby. He set up a food stand at Lark Ranch during the bustling fall season and his barbecue was a success. In 2020, when COVID hit, he shifted the business to the Baker home, selling orders from the driveway.
It was then he began to look for a restaurant opportunity.
“We heard Cecil and the Ragsdales were looking to sell. We sat at their kitchen table to discuss it and 24 hours later we said yes,” he recalled.
Cecil and Diane stayed on through a transition to get Todd up to speed on the drive-in.
From the outside, Bo-Mac’s looks the same. Car hops still come to your car or you can place an order with a car hop from one of the outside picnic tables. The classic neon sign that glows over the parking lot dates back to the early days of Bo-Mac’s.
To modernize the operation, the Bakers adopted a point of sale system and recently added mobile ordering, which Todd said has been extremely popular. Todd also added weekend winter hours to provide employees with more consistent employment and a monthly barbecue menu – Todd is the chief smoker – has been extremely popular, drawing customers from Indianapolis and Louisville.
A passion for food may have led Todd to Bo-Mac’s, but when he looks back at those days as a teenager in Martin County, continuing the tradition of Bo-Mac’s is about more than burgers and shakes.
“Bo-Mac’s is a place where families can come and be together. In a day where things move faster and faster it gives people a chance to slow down and remember how things used to be.” Todd said. “We want to keep it going because the town of Shoals, the people who live here and our customers are truly special to us.”
Initially, Todd ran the business, then Blair, with a degree as a registered nurse, joined him in the business full time in 2023. He credits much of the growth to Blair’s handling of Bo-Mac’s marketing and social media.
“She’s taken that over and it’s really made a difference,” he said.
The appeal of Bo-Mac’s isn’t lost on the couple’s two children, Burke, 9, and Willa, 5, who frequently help out.
The Bo-Mac’s menu continues to serve all the favorites – the Rox burger, topped with onion rings, coney dogs and the nacho basket. And of course, there’s the ice cream, which Todd said could be its own business.
Hours of operation
Bo-Mac’s is open Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.