Signature Dishes: The 'Yak Mak' burger at Yak Diner in North Apollo

This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com.

An old-school diner in North Apollo serves up its own version of a popular chain burger.

Yak Diner sells a Big Mac-inspired sandwich dubbed the “Yak Mak.”

Customers with extra-hearty appetites can upsize and dig into the “Yak Stak,” a doubled-up version.

“What makes it special is fresh, real meat on Italian kaiser buns and it has four pickles — not two — and our homemade Thousand Island dressing,” said manager Sherry Lanning.

Yak specializes in homemade classic diner fare in a decidedly casual atmosphere. Lanning said customers love the big portions and cheap prices.

The Yak Mak and Yak Stak cost $4.90 and $8, respectively. All menu items are priced under $10.

The butcher shop at Held’s Shop’n Save, located a few hundred yards down the road, grinds the beef daily for Yak.

“We use every local place around we can for our veggies and meats,” Lanning said.

A Yak Mak burger is served with shredded lettuce and American cheese, along with the aforementioned four pickles and house-made Thousand Island dressing.

Every Wednesday is “Yak Mak Day” with a featured price of $9.90 that includes a Yak Mak served with homemade hand-cut fries and coleslaw.

The Yak Stak is served with three buns, two beef patties and all of the fixings. A knife stabbed down the center of the sandwich holds it together.

“You need the knife to eat it — it’s so big,” Lanning said. “It doesn’t fit under the kitchen service counter like regular orders.”

A former Yak cook created the Yak Mak about 20 years ago, but the details remain fuzzy.

“He had tasted the sauce on a Big Mac at McDonald’s and created his own,” Lanning said.

The burger has remained a staple and signature item on their menu.

Lance Shaffer of Washington Township is a frequent diner at The Yak, but somehow hasn’t gotten around to ordering a Yak Mak yet. “I would try it,” he promised.

The Yak is a classic American stainless steel diner, among the last built by the famous O’Mahony Co. of Elizabeth, N.J. It originally operated as The Gateway Diner in Monroeville from 1956 until 1976, and then was moved to Washington Township for use as a video store.

In 1992, the building was relocated to North Apollo to be reborn as a diner, then called Yakkity-Yak. Lanning said the slimmed-down current name was introduced after several owners left the business.

Customers can either sit on stools at the classic countertop or settle into one of the booths lining large windows that run the length of the diner.

“We do take reservations for parties of any size,” Lanning said, because the small venue — about the size of a railroad car — can fill up. “A lot of people don’t know that.”

Yak Diner, 2014 River Road in North Apollo, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Takeout orders and reservations can be placed by calling 724-478-2472.