Stephenson's Old Apple Farm Restaurant
Submitted by Adrianne DeWeese on May 19, 2009 - 10:47am
This week, my business column discusses the history of Stephenson's Old Apple Farm Restaurant at U.S. 40 and Lee's Summit Road. Many of you know that the restaurant closed in spring 2007. Unfortunately, I never got to experience the old Stephenson's, but I enjoyed hearing the stories of history Monday morning with Steve Stephenson, the son of Loyd Stephenson. Loyd founded the original restaurant with his brother, Les.
In a world where technology and fast, shiny things rule all, more towns need places like Stephenson's. Steve described the old restaurant as a non-perfect establishment, with its odd little hallways and uneven floors from where the brothers added on as they could afford it. Antiques and family photographs lined the hallways and corners. These are the simple things in life that often get taken for granted.
Listening to Steve describe memories growing up and working at the family's restaurant, I thought of a similar place that brings me nostalgia. Perhaps you're thinking that I can't be nostalgic because I'm only 23, but I remember a time before cell phones, the Internet and social networking sites – a time when receiving snail mail was cool and text messaging wasn't commonplace. Anyway, the place I'm thinking of is Auntie Mae's Parlor in Manhattan, Kan., where I attended college. Auntie Mae's has been around since the Prohibition, and it's a hole-in-the-wall dive bar in a basement. See, Mae's is about so much more than getting a drink and cheap thrills. It's a place where I used to listen to my boyfriend play his 1984 Rhodes piano in a band. It's a place where people could kick back with close friends on a Friday night and wonder who in the world the people were in odd family photographs on the walls. It's a place where 22 year olds and 45 years olds alike could gather, and there were no age limits. It was all about the atmosphere, just like Stephenson's was, according to Steve.
I know many of you have been around EJC for a long time. Please share your favorite Stephenson's memories.
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My family and I were driving to Yellowstone National Park, in July of 1969 and just happened to stop at the restuarant for dinner. We found out that they had televisions set up to watch the "First Walk on the Moon". The place was packed and the food was incredible. We all went up to watch the first moonwalk and it was so neat. There were 8 of us, and to this day we still remember our trip. That was 40 years ago, I was 11, and I still remember that day like it was yesterday.
..........my fondest memories?.........for my first anniversary I took my wife to the old apple orchard restaurant.......we parked on a shady evening and walked up through the back.......through the neat old pathway.........and as it turned out........my favorite 6th grade teacher waited on us.........Mr. Wiser........a hard task master who taught school the old way.........and I receive an INCREDIBLE education in math and vocabulary from him......my home room teacher who had apparantly worked there for 30 years to supplement his teacher's salary.....we laughed and joked as hard as when I was in his class........my wife loved the experience.......a different kind of ambience and romantic charm........with fantastic fresh warm rolls......prime rib and pork chops..........she wanted to go there EVERY year after that for our anniversary........we kept this tradition for quite a few years ...always requesting Mr Wiser for a waiter.........the rooms were small and quaint.....like "like going back in time"..........I had passed the establishment hundreds of times as a teenager as my best friends lived down the street........it saddened me when I heard it closed..........even with the advent of the children opening a new restaurant nearby recently........"all good things must come to an end"............and "father time waits on NO man"..............
eldoggg
It's odd, but of all the times we ate at Stephenson's as a family, my sharpest memory involves my youngest daughter. On one trip, when she was about three or four, we were being led down some of those weird halls toward a faraway seat. About half way there she said I'm tired and sat down in the middle of the floor, and refused to budge. It was effective. We got seated at a closer table. Probably the first and only sit-down strike the restaurant ever experienced.
I ate there once for my ex-husbands christmas dinner and they led us down those same weird hallways and up the stairs to the dining hall or banquet hall they had there. I remember this nice waitress wasn't familiar with the place yet and tried to lead us into the bathroom. So me being the smartbutt I was let her know thank you for the tour to the bathroom and now I know where that is can you show me to the hall. She blushed and apologized and took us up there finally, then I found out she was new and I apologized. I felt horrible after that, her co-workers said something to her and she looked upset, so then I went up to her again and asked her to show me where the bathroom was since I had forgotten. I got her away from the torture of what I said and let her know I was just joking with her and gave her a $10 tip. I will say I have never seen a sit-down strike, that I would have laughed my butt off over.