Skippy's Route 66 Restaurant: At the Crossroads of Good Food and Good People
Gravel Bar Outdoor Dining Room Opens
Leasburg, MO Spring is in the air and Skippy's is ramping up for a busy season. The new 30-foot sign beckons people who venture on Route 66, and the Gravel Bar covered patio opens in April.
Skippy's Route 66 Restaurant, at the Onondaga Cave Exit 214 off I-44, provides what owner Skippy Sheleski, calls "Good Food for Good People." Skippy and manager Denise Basham, and three other cooks prepare the good food. Skippy, Denise, and their employees provide the homey atmosphere and the heart and soul of the restaurant's family feeling. The good people follow.
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.
This Route 66 eatery offers home style cooking at affordable prices for the traveler or locals who drop in for a break, a drink, or good eating, whether it be one of the daily specials or one of their signature dishes. Walleye, fried chicken with a great chicken gravy, freshly cut steaks, hot wings, a great roast beef sandwich with provolone cheese, or Skippy's "more than enough" half pound burger draw repeat customers. The fact that they go through about a 100 pounds each of wings and burgers in a good week speaks to the dishes' popularity.
Each day brings one or two homemade specials to the menu. Denise's meatloaf special is like your mom use to make if she could make a really good meatloaf. Other specials are spaghetti and homemade meatballs, chicken fettuccini, chicken enchiladas, brats and sauerkraut, or beef tips and noodles. The list goes on.
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. "The first time I walked in, I said, 'Oh, my gosh, we've got a lot to do,'" states Basham.
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 developed a menu that brought customers coming back for more, a full service bar, and improved the facilities. Games and a pool table add to the activities. Friday and Saturday nights after 9, customers sing karaoke. Happy hours from 4-6 during the week are popular as well.
Although Skippy's may seem a small wayside eatery, besides the "locals" ranging from Springfield to St. Louis, Skippy's attracts Route 66 travelers and visitors to the Onondaga Cave State Park and the Ozark Outdoors Resort, just down Hwy. H from the Leasburg crossroads.
From Skippy, Denise, and their employees, you will find friendliness and a desire to provide a good dining experience. Even other customers have been known to tell travelers to "take care and come back."
Skippy's is open from Monday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday, they are open until 1:30 a.m. On Sunday they open at noon until 10:00 p.m. Lunch is Monday-Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Call Skip Sheleski or Denise Basham at 573-245-6666 or check their website at www.skippysroute66.com for more information.
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