<p>Joey Thurman:<br />The weather's getting nice, so that means it's ice cream time. Banana Split Restaurant has been in Aurora for 39 years. I'm going to try the Groaner, which is about three traditional banana splits in one sitting. Can I do it? Stay here and find out. Oh yeah.<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />This was my first job in high school. I worked for the originator of Dairy Queen, Sherb Noble. And, after a couple seasons there in high school, his Territory Manager came and asked me if I had any interest in running a store and I said, "Well, I never really gave it a thought, I'm going to be a fireman." And he said, "Well, are you going to college?" I said, "Eh, I don't have to be a fireman and school's not my thing," he said, "Well, why don't you go to the junior college, take some business courses, they also have fire science courses, and see how you like it."<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />And within nine months they had a store open up, put me in the store on the west side of Aurora that was only a year old. And I ran that store for four seasons. And, my father-in-law, in the meantime my wife and I got married, Lisa, and my father said, "Why are you paying 20% off the top and 50 cents a gallon royalties every day for somebody else? Why don't you do this for yourselves?" And had no children at the time, we were young thought, "Well, if we fall on our faces, we're young enough to do something else and I can still be a fireman."<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Okay.<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />And, here we are, 39 years later and it's been a great business. We typically open the last Friday of February, and close the first Friday of October.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />And in February, it's still a little chilly. Do you get people coming in February?<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />Oh, it doesn't matter. People get that cabin fever. We have found, we had another location for five years that was year-round, and business was flat. In this business, at this store, this location, people just are waiting for a reason to get out. And, this year the temperature was in the 30s, at opening at noon on Friday, the 25th this year, we had a line in the middle of the parking lot.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Really?<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />It didn't matter that it was chilly out. People wanted a reason to get out and get their ice cream.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />A traditional banana split, how is that made? Because you guys do this, the traditional level, you might see all sorts of different things, right?<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />Correct. We researched it and our understanding is a traditional banana split: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry ice cream. The banana of course, can't forget the banana. Chocolate, pineapple, strawberry toppings, whipped cream, mixed nuts, and cherries.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Okay. And I'm going to try the Groaner today?<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />The Groaner.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Okay.<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />That is our biggest and best banana split because there's so much to it.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Okay.<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />And I challenge you to try to eat that whole thing. I've never been able to do it. Not without help.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Challenge accepted. Challenge accepted.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Done.<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />Challenge completed, good job.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Challenge completed.<br /><br />Randy Brown:<br />Oh my God, your hands are frozen.<br /><br />Joey Thurman:<br />Ah. I'm going to go to the bathroom now.</p>