Moody’s

On Military Road in Benton, not much about Moody’s Restaurant immediately grabs your attention. There’s no oversized menu board. No flashy branding or gimmicks. Just a simple promise: great burgers, fries and shakes, made fresh and served fast.

For owner Josh Powell, 51, that simplicity isn’t a trend. It’s a return to the way it should be. “I’ve been doing this since I was a kid,” he said. “This is all I’ve ever really done.”

Powell, a Benton native, has spent nearly his entire life in restaurants. His introduction came early, working at the Wendy’s his father helped open on Military Road, back when the road was just two lanes and Friday nights meant cruising between Sonic and the Safeway parking lot.

“That’s where I cut my teeth,” he said. “I was a teenager, working there, seeing everything grow up around it.”

That early experience turned into something much bigger in 1996, when Powell and his father became franchisees with Backyard Burgers. The move from employee to owner came with a steep learning curve, as Powell found himself responsible for far more than just operations.

“You go from not having to worry about anything – advertising, marketing, supply – to doing everything,” he said. “You’ve got to wear a lot of hats.”

Over time, Powell says one lesson stood above the rest. “Team,” he said. “You’ve got to have a great team. It’s impossible to do all of this yourself.”

“It takes a village,” he added. “You need help everywhere – accounting, advertising, everything. Learning to ask for help was probably the biggest thing.”

For 29 years, Powell and his father built their business within the Backyard Burgers system. But eventually, the foundation that once made the brand strong began to shift, especially after the company’s founder stepped away.

“It just wasn’t the same,” he said. “We couldn’t really see a future with it anymore.” At the same time, Powell realized something else. “I realized I could do just about everything (the new ownership) was doing,” he said. “So, I thought, why not try it myself?”

That decision led to the creation of Moody’s.

Opened in May 2025, Moody’s represents Powell’s first fully independent concept, not a franchise, but a restaurant built entirely on his own experience and instincts.

The location itself didn’t change. Moody’s operates out of the same building that once housed Backyard Burgers, a transition that initially caused some confusion among loyal customers.

“You had a lot of die-hard Backyard fans,” Powell said. “They’ve warmed up to us, and we’re getting a lot of positive feedback now that they’ve gotten used to us.”

What customers find when they walk through the doors is intentionally simple. “This is a no-frills fast-food joint,” Powell said. Behind that simplicity is a deliberate approach shaped by decades of trial and error and a desire to get back to what worked.

“When I was a kid, we did everything ourselves,” he said. “We hand-patted the meat. We prepped everything fresh.”

Over time, Powell said, much of the fast-food industry moved away from that model, relying more heavily on pre-packaged ingredients and centralized production.

At Moody’s, he’s reversing that trend. “We patty our own meat. We cut our own fries,” he said. “Everything’s fresh.” The concept blends elements of both Wendy’s and Backyard Burgers, while stripping away complexity.

“It’s kind of a hybrid,” Powell said. “But really, it’s going back to the original way of doing things.”

Even within that approach, Powell hasn’t built Moody’s alone. His father, who helped shape his path into the restaurant business, remains involved, particularly in one menu item that has quickly become a signature.

“We’ve got Pa’s banana pudding,” Powell said. “It’s his recipe. He’s been making it my whole life.” Powell laughed as he described his father’s ongoing role. “He comes in and gives it away half the time,” he said. “Then I’ve got to make more.”

At home, Powell’s support system has been just as important. He and his wife have been married for 26 years, raising seven children together while navigating the demands of the restaurant business, a career that rarely follows a normal schedule.

“The restaurant business is a demanding industry,” Powell said. “It doesn’t leave much room for anything else.”

That dynamic has made his wife an important sounding board as Moody’s has taken shape.

“I know what I like and lean more toward operations and execution,” he said. “But she tends to think more like a customer. What she likes tends to be what the masses like.”

That influence is evident in one of the restaurant’s defining choices. Powell, who spent years around flame-grilled burgers, initially leaned in that direction for Moody’s. His wife pushed for a flat-top grill that would appeal to a broader audience.

“Like with so many other things, she was right,” Powell said with a laugh. The adjustment stuck, becoming part of the restaurant’s identity.

Family has always been central to Powell’s story, both in business and at home. His children range in age from 10 to 25, with paths that stretch far beyond the restaurant industry.

“I’ve made sure they don’t want to do this,” he said. “You miss a lot in this business.”

After nearly 30 years working within someone else’s system, Moody’s represents something different, not just a new restaurant, but a chance to build something on his own terms.  And that’s exactly how Josh Powell wants it.

Moody’s Restaurant is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is located at 1420 Military Road in Benton.