Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran in the November/December 2025 edition of the Valley Living magazine, a publication produced bi-monthly by the Valley Times News. If you would like to pick up a copy of the Valley Living magazine or subscribe to the magazine, please visit our office at 4002 20th Ave Suite E in Valley.
Daniel’s Drive Inn isn’t just another burger joint on Highway 29 — it’s a living landmark in Valley, Alabama. For 75 years, the family-run restaurant has fed generations of mill workers, high school students and families, serving up Daniel Burgers and scrambled dogs with a side of continuity. In a town where so much has changed, Daniel’s has remained steady: a place where history is wrapped in wax paper, passed across the counter and carried forward by the same family that started it all.
Ethel Daniel moved to the area in 1950. She formed a partnership with her brother, L.W. “Dub” Waldrep, and they opened the very first Daniel’s Drive Inn location in Lanett, in the area known as “Little Italy,” on South 8th Street. Equipped with nothing but a hamburger and chili recipe she bought from “Punkin” Hewey for five dollars, a legacy was created spanning seven-and–a-half decades.
After 17 years in the same location, Daniel and her brother moved the restaurant to Langdale in the “Little Brown Jug” building, which served as the home of the “Daniel Burger” until 1972, when they moved into their current block building off of Highway 29 just past Valley High School. Daniel ran it until 1980, passing away in ’82. Dub pitched in afterward until a massive stroke.
Harriet Wadkins, the next in line to inherit Daniel’s legacy, has been working there since she was 20 years old and has worked full-time in the restaurant for 58 years. Current owner and Wadkins’ daughter, Becky Nelson, eventually took over for Wadkins, buying the business in 1999.
Family Legacy
Longevity isn’t the only thing that makes Daniel’s Drive Inn special; the fact that it has remained a family business throughout its history is also a factor. Nelson, who has worked at the restaurant since a young age, says the plan for Daniel’s Drive Inn is to pass it down to her son, keeping the Daniel’s legacy alive through one more generation. “The plan is, when I retire one day, or give out, whichever happens first, my son and his wife will take over.”
Nelson also described how many other family members have worked in the establishment over the generations. “It’s just a family thing,” Nelson said. “I think about all the grandkids, all the mamas, nieces and nephews, we all worked down here at some point.”
Every member of the staff, however, may not be related by blood, but that does not make them any less family. Marie Jones, a long-time member of Daniel’s team, has been working there for 34 years. Jones’ mother, Mattie Mae, worked with the Daniel’s family for 44 years. For two generations, the crew at Daniel’s Drive Inn consistently earned the loyalty and respect of the Jones family.
Average day
At Daniel’s Drive Inn, the rhythm of the day starts before sunrise. By 6 a.m., the kitchen lights glow against Highway 29, and the first biscuits are already in the oven. The smell of butter and sausage drifts across the paved lot, mingling with the hiss of the griddle as patties hit the heat. For decades, mill workers made Daniel’s their first stop, pulling into the lot to walk up to the window, grab breakfast and order lunch to carry with them into long shifts. Sometimes Daniel’s would even receive large call-in orders from workers buying for multiple people at a time. “It wasn’t unusual getting meal orders for $100 or $150,” Wadkins said.
The pace is steady but familiar. Customers step up to the window, place their order, and then move aside to wait while the staff inside keep the line moving. Drinks slide across the counter, fries sizzle in the fryer, and the Daniel Burger remains the most requested item no matter the hour. Nelson often says the restaurant’s strength lies in its consistency — the menu hasn’t changed much in 75 years, and that’s exactly what customers expect.
By mid-day, the drive-in hums with families, retirees and students from Valley High just down the road. The staff, many of whom have worked there for decades, keep the flow moving with practiced ease. For them, it’s not just a job but a continuation of the same rhythm that’s carried Daniel’s through generations.
Dining and Cooking