Brother Daryl’s: Two Sterling friends cook up a dream come true

STERLING – Two best friends took an inside joke and turned it into a successful business.

Brother Daryl’s is a breakfast and brunch comfort food spot located at 406 Ave. G in Sterling. Owner Chris Schueler started the business with his best friend and the restaurant’s general manager, Tony Walters, four years ago.

The restaurant’s name comes from an inside joke between the two friends.

“We were playing poker and watching the episode of ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ where the two brothers Darryl would do anything for a dollar,” Schueler said. “For some reason, we thought it was the funniest thing. There were six or seven of us that night, and after that, we just started calling each other Darryl for two straight years.”

Schueler and Walters have known each other since they were children but did not become friends until 2001 after working at a McDonald’s restaurant together.

“Our parents went to school together and went bowling together,” Walters said. “We spent time around each other as little kids at the bowling alley.”

Walters said he ran the Dog House restaurant in Sterling and owned it for a time. Schueler filled in off and on over the years to help his friend.

Both friends went on to work other jobs, but it was not until the COVID-19 pandemic closed down dine-in options for establishments that they originally thought of opening a food truck.

“I remember talking about it with Chris and saying, ‘The only way I’m going to do this is if we call it Brother Daryl’s,‘” Walters said. “He was like, ‘Dude, you’re reading my mind.‘”

Unfortunately, the friends could not raise enough money for the food truck, so they saved their money and did the next best thing – they bought a large tent to cook in at events.

“The Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce hired us for our first event at Tailgate Bingo,” Schueler said. “We killed it that day and worked events all summer. We made just enough money that summer that when this place came through, we were able to spend it all to get it up and running.”

Schueler, Walters and their friends are all avid golfers with a wicked sense of humor and even bigger hearts. For the past three years, they have held an annual golf outing, the YSJ Classic, to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Although most of their golf game is normal, the friends also have specially themed holes where participants will have to follow certain guidelines, such as using a hockey stick to putt or running at the ball for a long drive as seen in the motion picture “Happy Gilmore.” They even have a friend who heckles them the entire time.

“We’ve got another hole where you drive the ball blindfolded, and one where a flirtatious woman is trying to distract you,” Walters said. “That one is not very popular with the players' wives. Each year, we also have a hole-in-one for a car.”

The tournament is held at the Lost Nation Golf Course in Dixon. It raised $1,125 from 86 golfers in its first year and has grown every year since, with the last tournament bringing in $3,500 and more than 100 golfers. This year, the friends hope to raise $5,000 with even more participants.

Brother Daryl’s is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and features free delivery. For more information, call 815-590-8513.