06/23/2026
Hi guys, Kayleigh here…
I’m not sure if anyone else was counting, but today marks 25 years since my family opened the restaurant. I’ve been reflecting a lot over the last month about this journey, so enjoy my stream of consciousness, my ideas, the lore, and me pulling back the curtain a little bit. I’ve had a lot to pine about.
Rob and Karen (my parents) bought the restaurant back in June 2001. Both were unemployed and had nothing to lose. They put both their vehicles up as collateral for the loan. They were all in.
That summer was quite memorable. I was their only employee. At the age of 12, I worked every shift doing dishes while getting paid $5 a shift, or $55 a week. At my young age, I thought I was killing it. But that’s also all they could afford to pay me at the time.
We drove back and forth from our home in Florissant to Louisiana every day. Our famous ribeye steak sandwich sold for $5.95 that year. It’s hard to believe that was the summer that started it all.
Operating a restaurant is one of the hardest businesses to be successful in. Just ask anyone in town who has tried opening one. There have been countless reasons why we could have failed over the years. There were plenty of people who doubted us and expected us to fail. Some were pretty vocal about it. Twenty-five years later, we’re still here. Turns out hard work, stubbornness, and consistency count for a lot.
The truth is that a successful restaurant isn’t built by one person. It’s built by family, employees, and customers. It’s built on dedication. It’s showing up when you’re tired, when life gets difficult, and when you’d rather be anywhere else. It’s producing a quality product day after day, year after year. When you do that consistently, people come back. Those relationships are what keep the lights on and the doors open.
Working with family is also very difficult. Just imagine being around your immediate family all day, every day. It can get pretty tense. And if you’ve been around long enough, you’ve surely seen arguments between us. But like they say, when you’re here, you’re family.
Operating this family business for the last quarter of a century has provided my family with so many opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise. We’ve built friendships and relationships that we’ll treasure for the rest of our lives. We’ve been fortunate enough to live our version of the American Dream.
Moving to this small community and having its support after all these years has allowed us to keep doing what we’re passionate about. We’ve seen it all: weddings, births, deaths, graduations, baptisms, heartbreak, and birthdays. From some of the most devastating losses to some of the highest highs of life. Being around and getting to be a part of those impactful life events is something we will never take for granted.
If you stuck around and actually read this in its entirety, congratulations! I like to yap.
But seriously, thank you. To our employees, customers, friends, and everyone who has supported us over the last 25 years: we wouldn’t be here without you. It’s been an honor to be known as one of the most iconic restaurants in Louisiana.
Cheers to many more.
Kayleigh
