As a syndicated columnist, I am always on the lookout for stories and ideas that I feel will benefit you and help you in some way. For several months now, Janis and I have been hearing about a little restaurant up in Leslie, Arkansas, called the Skylark Café. It is off the main highway and the beaten path, but there is always a crowd of people there eating those delicious home-cooked meals they serve. So, one day Janis and I made the 75 mile or so trip up there to have lunch. It was very good, and a few months later on our way to Branson, Mo., we stopped by there again. This time I was a little more observant and came away with some ideas that I want to share with you. The main idea is that if this little restaurant can be successful, others can be successful by using the same principles they use at the Skylark.
When I did some research, I learned there is much more to this restaurant than meets the eye. The Skylark Café was opened in 2009, but its success can be attributed to Denver and Joy, a young couple who had worked in various restaurants in other states, and also to Joy’s love for cooking that came from her grandmother. The town of Leslie is in Searcy County and, according to statistics, it is one of the poorest counties in the state. The population of Leslie today is a whopping 375 people.
The starting point for the Skylark Cafe was when Joy bought the house where the restaurant is located from a friend. She soon began a renovation process of ripping up floors, tearing out walls and painting everything in sight. To me, the house looks like it was built back in the 1950s, and they have truly utilized the space well.
Today when you go in, you see tables and chairs from wall to wall, beginning in the front room, then the middle room, and then the space I feel was a bedroom, and lastly the back porch. They also have tables in the front yard. One thing that was unique was the bathroom, that could not have been more than 4 feet by 6 feet, and I can truthfully say was the smallest bathroom I have been in. While I never went into the kitchen, I could see people working in a room to the right when you first go in.
To be sure, the word has gotten out, as the restaurant was full of patrons the day Janis and I stopped by. As I thought about all these details, I began to wonder what was the key element that made it successful? The menu was a big part of their success. The large variety of items was not typical of most small-town restaurants, and the offerings reflected the experience Joy and Denver had working at other restaurants in large cities.
One thing I forgot to mention is that Joy was dissatisfied with a dish that came from their kitchen, so she went in there and straightened it out. She never left. Looking back, I am not sure if Denver was there or not, as all the help we saw was female. Let’s face it, guys, most women can handle food preparation and serving better than we can.
To sum up what I have been saying, if you are ever through Leslie, Arkansas, on Highway 65, why not stop by the famous Skylark Café and dine with them. You might tell them that Jim and Janis sent you. And they will look at you, kind of funny. But that is what life is all about, meeting new people, and experiencing new things, better here in the USA, than anywhere else in the world.
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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)