A framed copy of the old nursery rhyme hangs on the wall of a new Preston Hallow favorite, The Purple Cow. Decorated 50s style and tucked into the Preston Royal Shopping Center next to Covins, this family spot is quickly becoming a regular hangout for all ages in the neighborhood.

The playful aura of the eatery coupled with the lure of the soda fountain says “kids,” the menu says “anybody.” Sure, there are corny dogs and fun food, but Mom can have a salad and a glass of wine, and Dad can have a burger and a beer. The senior crowd seems to hone in on the Purple Plate Specials and the homemade soups. There are even vegetarian options. And, unlike some “kiddie” restaurants we could name but won’t, the food here is, well, good.

“I think the neighborhood has figured out when ‘their’ time slot is,” says owner Angus MacKay. “At lunch time weekdays, we get kids and a fair-sized business crowd. We also get older people coming later in the afternoon and early evening. Couples come later in the evening. The 5:30 slot belongs to the kids – so does Saturday morning.”

Business partner Don Lindsley agrees: “We’re not a ‘kids’ restaurant, we’re all-day neighborhood dining. Food is our focus here – everything is cooked to order, made from scratch.”

This multi-layered marketing approach was no accident – MacKay and Lindsley, who also own Picardy’s in Snider Plaza, are hardly strangers to the upper echelon of the restaurant business.

MacKay, a graduate of hotel school in Oxford, worked at the Plaza and Waldorf in New York, and the Bellaire in Los Angeles, becoming the resident manager of the Mansion on Turtle Creek before going out on his own. Lindsley is an accountant, born and raised in the neighborhood, who was managing restaurant accounts at Deloitte & Touche when he gave into the entrepreneurial urge.

Being family men with wives and children lent the final instinct for creating s spot where everybody’s needs are considered.

“I always knew I wanted to do this,” MacKay says. “Going into business for yourself is a big risk really. But being able to influence what happens at the restaurant, being able to make changes quickly and effectively – and listen to customers – is very fun versus working for a company where change takes time.”

Lindsley agrees: “I wanted to get out there and do it on my own, and I’ve always loved the (restaurant) business.”

For instance, MacKay and Lindsley noticed that the Purple Plate Specials were slow at taking off when the restaurant first opened. Did they have to approach management with a marketing study proposal? Heck, no. They just asked their neighbors what they wanted to eat. Pretty radical.

So is purple ice cream.

“Purple vanilla ice cream is our signature – Blue Bell Ice Cream makes it only for us. We do shakes and cones, it’s very popular,” MacKay says.

Fifties-era novelties receive their fair share of attention. MacKay says some seniors like to order the lime rickies, a nostalgic taste.

“They’re very authentic,” he says.

Another part of being an authentic neighborhood restaurant, the partners believe, is really getting involved in the community. Purple Cow is one of the sponsors of the Jewish Community Center’s Artfest in August at the Meyerson and Funtasia, JCC’s kids’s carnival, in February. In addition, they cater events with Children’s Medical Center as well as Hockaday and Hillcrest high schools.

“We want to be involved with church and community. Having lived in the area, that’s what we do,” MacKay says. “We realize the importance of supporting the neighborhood.

The neighborhood seems to have formed a similar attachment to The Purple Cow. There’s this one little five-year-old boy who gets treated to a purple milkshake about twice a week. MacKay says their “nice morning soda jerk” Antonette makes the treat.

And the little boy’s parents report that when he says his prayers at night…he prays for Antonette first.