FARGO - Tom Poole remembers well the King Leo's restaurant that once operated on University Drive in south Fargo next to Interstate 94; it was a place he frequented during his schoolboy days in the 1970s.

And so it was that the name King Leo's came to him one day as he pondered possibilities for land he had purchased on 42nd Street South near West Acres Shopping Center.

After tearing down the Valentino's restaurant that had called the corner home, Poole decided King Leo's would make a fine replacement.

Now, King Leo's is again a going concern, having started full-service hours on Monday after about a week or so of limited hours designed to help staff train and prepare.

The business features two drive-thru lanes and a decor that recalls the brand's past, including posters on the wall of the former restaurant's menu (hamburgers were 15 cents, malts and shakes a quarter), as well as images of the original King Leo's marketing look.

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Kurt Breker and his parents, Jim and Mary, hit King Leo's for lunch Monday.

All said they remember eating at the original King Leo's when they would visit Fargo from their home in Cayuga, N.D., where Kurt Breker still lives.

"It's a heck of a burger," Kurt Breker said, adding he wouldn't mind returning whenever he's in town.

His parents, who now live in the Fargo area, said they will likely come back again, too.

Mary Breker recalled a time years ago when one of her children was staying in Fargo recovering from an injury. "The first thing she said after she got healed up was, 'When we go home, we're going to King Leo's.' " Mary Breker said.

Poole, who plans to break ground on a King Leo's on 19th Avenue North early next year and is considering making the brand a franchise, said the originator of King Leo's set up a restaurant in Fargo after McDonald's turned him down for a franchise location.

Poole, co-owner of the new King Leo's with business partner Doug Gillam, said the original King Leo's opened in 1960 and closed in 1978. In between those years, locations also came and went in Grand Forks and Minot.

The menu of the modern King Leo's is similar to what the original restaurant offered, with some additions.

Besides burgers made from angus beef, other options include: fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, sloppy Joe sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw on top, chili cheese dogs, bowls of chili and cheesy fries.

The restaurant staff numbers about 50 workers, with most of those being part-time positions.

King Leo's sits at a busy intersection where, according to Poole, about 19,000 vehicles a day drive by.

"If we can't make it here, we can't make it anywhere," he said.

Business profile

What: King Leo's restaurant

Where: 1443 42nd St. S., Fargo

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Phone: (701) 478-5464