EST. 1993 • Delta, UT
Our Story
From a backyard griddle to a barn full of regulars.
Where it started
One griddle. One idea. One stubborn cook.
In the summer of 1993, Ashton Mercer loaded a beat-up cast-iron griddle into the back of his truck and set up a folding table at the Millbrook Farmer's Market. No sign. No menu board. Just six varieties of hand-formed patty and a handwritten sheet of paper taped to a cooler.
By noon he had sold out. The next Saturday, the line stretched past the flower stall. People started driving in from Peterborough, then from the city. Word spread the way good things always do — mouth to mouth, one satisfied customer at a time.
In 1997, Ashton opened the first proper Barn location in downtown Millbrook. Six years later a second location followed, then a third in 2010. Today, three Barns serve the same honest burger that sold out at a folding table over thirty years ago. The griddle is still the same brand. The beef still comes from the same farms. Some things don't need improving.
The Journey
How we got here
Over thirty years of good food, loyal regulars, and one or two very spicy experiments that didn't make the permanent menu.
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1993
The First Saturday
Ashton sells out of 48 burgers at the Millbrook Farmer's Market before 1 pm, using a single cast-iron griddle and a cooler full of local Angus beef.
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1997
The First Barn Opens
After four years of farmer's market sellouts and a growing waiting list of fans, the first brick-and-mortar location opens on King Street in Millbrook — 22 seats and a proper flat-top grill.
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2003
Location Two & The Barn Classic
A second Barn opens in Peterborough, and the Barn Classic — double smash, American cheese, pickles, house sauce — is added to the permanent menu after years of popular demand.
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2010
The Third Barn & The Buster
Location three launches in Lindsay, and the now-legendary Barn Buster challenge debuts: five patties, 20 minutes, free if you finish — only 14 people ever have.
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2020
Community Roots Deepened
Through pandemic closures and reopenings, the Barn doubles down on its supplier relationships, locking in long-term partnerships with three family farms within 80 km of each location.
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2024
Thirty-One Years in the Making
The Barn celebrates 31 years of smashing patties with a limited-edition Heritage Burger series, bringing back three archived recipes voted on by the regulars — and the line wraps around the block.
What We Stand For
The principles behind every patty
We're not a chain. We're not chasing trends. We're a burger barn, and these three things have guided every decision since day one.
Quality Over Everything
We use 100% Ontario Angus beef, never frozen. Every bun is baked fresh daily. Every sauce is made in-house. If it isn't good enough to serve to family, it doesn't go on the menu.
Community First
Our suppliers are neighbours. Our staff are locals. Our regulars are friends. Every dollar spent at the Barn stays in the communities that gave us our start, and that's not changing.
Never Stop Improving
The core menu doesn't change because it doesn't need to, but the kitchen never stops experimenting. Monthly specials, seasonal shakes, and the occasional wild sauce keep things interesting without breaking what works.
The People
The crew that makes it work
Behind every great burger is a team that genuinely cares. At Ashton's, that means cooks who take pride in the smash, front-of-house staff who know your order before you've sat down, and managers who came up through the line themselves.
More than half of our team has been with us for over five years. Several started as summer students and are now running kitchens. We don't treat the Barn as a pit stop — it's a career for the people who want it to be, with training, advancement, and a culture that respects the craft of feeding people well.
When you walk into any of our three locations, you're not dealing with a faceless franchise. You're being looked after by people who chose to be here.
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Work at the Barn
We're always looking for people who take pride in their work. Fill out the form below and we'll be in touch.
Heard it from regulars
Thirty-one years of good words
We could write about ourselves all day. But these people have been coming here longer than some of our staff have been working here.
★★★★★I was at the Millbrook Farmer's Market the very first Saturday Ashton set up. I told my wife that evening: this kid is going to open a restaurant. Over thirty years later I'm still eating there every week.
★★★★★I started working at the Barn as a dishwasher at 17. Now I'm running the Peterborough kitchen at 24. Ashton actually invests in you. The burgers are great, but the people are what make this place.
★★★★★My family moved to Lindsay specifically because we found out a Barn was opening there. I'm not even joking. The Smoke Stack is worth relocating for. These people understand what a burger is supposed to be.