In 1966, Mark took a job at the Price Hill Skyline as a cook. He learned from the founders of Skyline how to prepare the chili and all the other ingredients used to make the traditional dishes. The menu was much simpler then. Cheese Coneys were $0.18 in those days. Mark met his future bride, Cindy, while working at that Skyline.
After four years in the Navy, Mark went to work for an electronics firm as a technician. The job was challenging but Mark was offered an opportunity to go back to work for Skyline as a General Manager of the newest location on Chester Road in Sharonville in 1976. Cindy was a stay-at-home Mom with their first born, Chris. Five years later their daughter, Melissa, was born. In 1983, Mark was approached by a friend, Bill Schuler, who offered him a partnership in a Skyline. They purchased the Skyline located at 1826 Brown Street and had their sights set on developing the Dayton market.
In February, 1984, they opened a second location at 39 S. Springboro Pike, across from the Dayton Mall. Mark and Cindy both worked at each of the restaurants along with Chris and Melissa. In the early years, Chris would stand on a milk crate to do dishes at Brown Street, and Melissa would help cashier at the Mall location. Realizing that the dream of developing the Dayton market was not going to happen, in 1987 they found it necessary to sell the Brown Street location and concentrate on the Dayton Mall store. By 1993, they needed to expand the business and doubled the seating. They called it “the new side”, and it was smoke-free. Business continued to grow and in 2002 they decided that the current location no longer served their purposes and restricted business growth. The search was on for new digs. In October of 2003 they opened at the current location on Kingsridge Drive where they have enjoyed success thanks to their many loyal customers that followed them.
Current employees that have a long tenure with us are:
| Chris | Store Manager | 34 years |
| Roger | Assistant Store Manager | 25 years |
| Haley | Shift Manager | 18 years |
| Sara | Shift Manager | 18 years |