Murph’s Creamery and Grill owners are shown at the counter of their new Toledo restaurant on Saturday morning, Nov. 24. They’re preparing for a grand opening of the location on Business Highway 230 Nov. 30-Dec.2. Chronicle/John Speer

“We always wanted to do something for the community,” Josh Murphy said last Saturday. “We” are his father, Joe Murphy and brother, Jeremiah, and himself who have become partners to open Murph’s Creamery & Grill on Business Highway 30 in Toledo.

“We bought it (the former Butter Cow Restaurant) on Labor Day weekend and went to work on it right away,” Joe said. They opened on Oct. 15 and plan a grand opening this weekend- Nov. 3-Dec. 2. Josh said the trio has looked at and considered other local business opportunities over the years before deciding this was the one for them.

Jeremiah is in charge of the kitchen and operations of the restaurant which seats 60 while Joe, who is retired, and Josh, who works in Des Moines, fill in wherever they can.

They are employing 30 full and part-time employees. Murph’s also features a drive-up window and call-in orders are welcome.

When it comes to the menu they point with pride to their signature “Murph burgers.” They are “fresh – never frozen beef” from Iowa Premium in Tama and are what they describe as “a proprietary blend of brisket, short ribs and chuck.” They also have received great reviews on their pork tenderloins with the meat from JBS in Marshalltown which is hand-sliced, tenderized and hand-breaded. Sauces for sandwiches are handmade by Jeremiah. Throw in Nathan’s brand all-beef hot dogs, kids meals and of course the ice cream to round out the menu.

On the “Creamery” side, Murph’s has what they believe is “the best ice cream around” having offered taste testing to customers and friends of different brands to come up with a favorite. Murph’s Mixers are proving to be a favorite with all kinds of other ice cream cones, shakes and more available. They plans to add ice cream cakes in the future.

The logo for Murph’s was designed by Kyle Gibson, a Tama native, who now has his own graphic design business in Michigan.

The Murphys have long been members of the community-Joe’s father was the late Dr. George Murphy, a Tama chiropractor, and his mother Bettie Benardy is a Tama resident.

Father Joe is a 1974 South Tama graduate. He retired from the last 20 years spent in industrial maintenance. Jeremiah graduated in 1996 from STC and is a musician and has worked in the restaurant business. Josh is a 2002 STC grad and is associated with a Des Moines credit union.

The location of Murph’s Creamery & Grill can be remembered as the site of the Burger Inn. It was bought in 1989 for a Dairy Queen location by Burdette Brown, husband of Ann Murphy Brown. He ‘s Joe’s brother-in-law and Josh and Jeremiah’s uncle. Luke Squiers bought the location in 2011 and operated it as the Butter Cow.

The Murphys said they make it a policy “to welcome everyone when they come in and thank them when they leave.”