Heating Up in the Kitchen

My brothers Rob and John were among a few who had our hand in opening a restaurant a couple years before we bought Ingram’s in the mid-90s. Sweeney’s Shamrock Cafe & Pub was to be located in the former Sutera’s location in Brookside—where Michael Forbes Bar & Grill most recently operated. The J.C. Nichols Co. recognized the value of this location and required we pay back rent and taxes to obtain this prime location at 63rd and Brookside Plaza. It was an easy decision to walk away from that lease but we landed at Red Bridge Shopping Center, ironically owned by…J.C. Nichols Co.

Today, The Limit Pub & Grill occupies the space where The Shamrock once bloomed, and we had a great run as one of the area’s favorite hospitality destinations—especially throughout
St. Patrick’s Day Season. O’Dowd’s had not yet been established on the Plaza, and I wonder whether the owners might have reconsidered opening that establishment had The Shamrock landed in Brookside.

I remember opening day (and night) as if it were yesterday. “Mom—we need you in the kitchen!!!” We were slammed with south Kansas City neighbors, friends, family and nearly every Irish man and women in the region. At the time, the options for traditional Irish music were Harling’s in Midtown or traveling to O’Malley’s Pub in Weston, which doesn’t bode well for those who tip pints of Guinness, Harp or Smithwick’s.

We have no regrets over establishing one of the region’s more festive and fun restaurants and bars; many fond memories remain. The line of work, though, is not for the faint of heart. Yet it’s a space Michelle and I recently entered again with the grand opening of Pebble Bay Club Grill at the Lake of the Ozarks over the 4th of July holiday weekend. The new restaurant is part of a waterfront boutique resort west of Camdenton on the 12-mile marker of the lake’s Big Niangua arm. That makes Pebble Bay Club the southernmost waterfront restaurant and bar on the Lake of the Ozarks and we’re located in a densely populated region next to Old Kinderhook Golf Resort. We’re the only waterfront restaurant in the Camdenton area—10 miles by water from the nearest competitor.

Our soft opening for Pebble Bay Club Grill was ironically the very day we published the 50th Anniversary Special Edition of Ingram’s. Truth be told, we have two pretty demanding full-time jobs at the moment and we’re not doing either nearly as well as we should. Imagine being late to the start of the summer season at a lake-area restaurant bar and grill and trying to staff the operation with two dozen experienced and service-oriented chefs, cooks, bartenders, servers, hosts, assistants, housekeepers and more.

All who know me realize our endearing love for the states of Kansas and my home state of Missouri, but I will tell you first-hand—the Lake of the Ozarks region may be the most challenging in the state in terms of work force and career-ready candidates.

The work ethic at the lake is by and large the worst I’ve ever seen, which contributes to the life expectancy of nearly every business there.

Here’s to KC’s Remarkable Restaurateurs

Among the four categories in Ingram’s Best of Business Kansas City Awards is the granddaddy of them all: Wining and Dining. This readers’ choice awards competition began nearly four decades ago under the brand Silver Spoon Awards. We added Entertainment and Culture, Business Products and Business Services categories after our acquisition of Ingram’s in 1997.

It would be safe to estimate that several thousand organizations have been honored in the Best of Business Kansas City Awards. Among the very best of them, at least 191 companies have claimed 992 Gold Awards. Mind you, a number of these companies have struck Gold in more than one category and many have been on the ranking for many years—organizations such as The Capital Grille, Jack Stack BBQ and JE Dunn Construction.

Having been an engaged researcher and student of commerce and industry for several decades, I would have to say that one of the most challenging sectors, if not the most challenging, is food service, and in particular, restaurants and bars. More than one might ask, “What the hell were you thinking, Sweeney?” The bottom line is that I’m too high-strung to sit idle during retirement and having been in media for decades and the lodging industry for 15 years, we’re all about service and we have one simple aspiration: We intend to build one of the Lake of the Ozarks’ best waterfront resorts, including Pebble Bay Club Grill, built on the foundation of great food and extraordinary service.

I want to elaborate on restaurateurs for a moment and give credit where due to many of our region’s finest. There is nothing easy or affordable in the restaurant business—especially since the pandemic and record-high inflation. Labor is the biggest challenge and many have built teams and are running smoothly. Others continue to fight it. Some say that misfits unite in the restaurant and bar business, but I disagree. If standards and screenings are not in place, hiring and retention will remain a nightmare. I’d like to make a dedication not only to restaurant and bar operators but to the best of them all in the eyes of Ingram’s readers. We applaud each of these firms for doing their part to create one of the finest hospitality regions in the nation.