Skippy’s Route 66 Restaurant, near the Mother Road in Leasburg, Mo., has a new sign to beckon travelers and will open its Gravel Bar patio for the season next month.
Skippy’s is a story of a proprietor learning on the job and making continual improvements.
From a news release:
The Gravel Bar boasts its own custom stonework bar. Larger groups can reserve the space for special occasions without a room charge. The covered patio proved a great attraction for customers during the fall season, and Basham anticipates an even greater spring and summer this year. The Missouri Route 66 Association will hold their July meeting at Skippy’s.
Skippy bought the former Coachlight Inn and opened it on Labor Day of 2000 as The Route 66 Inn. Things were not smooth at first. When Skippy bought the restaurant, he was a body shop manager in St. Louis. He learned that trying to manage from afar was a nightmare with a lot of quality problems.
He decided it was necessary to be a “hands on” owner and took over running the restaurant himself. He also convinced Denise Basham to quit a successful job in Human Resources and join him in managing the restaurant. […]
Denise and Skippy joined forces in cleaning, improving, remodeling, and plowing profits back into the restaurant and bar. After two years Skippy’s put his own name on the business because he wanted to let his customers know that there was someone there with pride in the establishment and that they could bring their comments to him.
Skippy’s specializes in home-style food, including fried chicken, walleye, steaks, hot wings, and a roast beef sandwich with provolone cheese. The restaurant goes through about 100 pounds of wings and burgers a week. Other daily specials include meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken enchiladas, beef tips and noodles, chicken fettuccini, and bratwurst and sauerkraut.
(Photo montage by Jane Reed)