Business Spotlight: Restaurant's success more than just gimmick

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Lambert's Cafe|ret||ret||tab|

Year founded: 1942|ret||ret||tab|

Owner: Lambert's Cafe Inc.|ret||ret||tab|

Address and phone number: Highway 65, Ozark, MO; 581-7655|ret||ret||tab|

Web site: www.throwedrolls.com|ret||ret||tab|

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It all started on May 26, 1976. Norman Lambert was pushing a cart filled with rolls around Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston. A hungry customer on the other side of the room asked Norman to throw him a roll. Norman threw the roll, the customer loved it, and a tradition was born.|ret||ret||tab|

Today, Lambert's Cafe bills itself as "the only home of throwed rolls," and the phrase "throwed rolls" is a registered trademark. A number of copy-cat restaurants have opened over the years, but Norman is the one who originated the idea, according to Jeff Johnson, general manager of Lambert's Cafe in Ozark. |ret||ret||tab|

Earl and Agnes Lambert started the first Lambert's Cafe in 1942. The Lamberts borrowed $1,500 from Tish Jones and opened a small cafe with five employees on South Main Street in Sikeston.|ret||ret||tab|

It was a bad time to be in the restaurant business. Rationing had been instituted because of World War II, and meat and other foodstuffs were often in short supply. The Lamberts managed to hang on to their business, however, and the cafe quickly established a reputation for down-home country cooking.|ret||ret||tab|

In 1976, Earl Lambert died, and Agnes Lambert began running the restaurant alongside their son Norman and his wife Patti. Today, the third and fourth generations of the Lambert family own and run the business, which has undergone significant expansion in recent years.|ret||ret||tab|

The cafe in Sikeston now seats up to 300 people. In 1994, the family opened a second location in Ozark, and in 1996, a third location opened in Foley, Ala.|ret||ret||tab|

Although Lambert's Cafe is well known for its throwed rolls, it's the food and fun family atmosphere that keep customers coming back. The tables and booths at Lambert's are made out of pine, and most of the main courses are served in skillets.|ret||ret||tab|

The menu includes dishes such as golden-fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, chicken fried round steak, meatloaf, pork chops, country ham, roast beef, barbecue beef and sirloin steak. In addition, diners can get a hearty helping of some of old Norm's pass arounds, such as black-eyed peas, fried okra, homemade fried potatoes, candied yams and other dishes, which are served in large bowls that are passed around the table.|ret||ret||tab|

While the cooking is down-home, the method used to place orders at Lambert's Cafe is not. Employees use a computerized touch screen to enter each table's order, which then is printed out in ticket form in the kitchen.|ret||ret||tab|

After the ticket is received in the kitchen, the cooking staff goes to work. Approximately 160 employees work at Lambert's. Some work in the roll room mixing batter. Others smash potatoes, cut up meat or make desserts. Almost all of the food served at Lambert's is made fresh daily from scratch.|ret||ret||tab|

According to Johnson, Lambert's Cafe in Ozark serves more than 600 dozen rolls and an average of 2,000 customers each day. Many of these customers are tourists.|ret||ret||tab|

Lambert's began attracting tourists when it opened in Sikeston, which is located at the hub of Interstate 55, Interstate 57 and Highway 60. Today, Lambert's continues to attract travelers through billboards and ads placed in tourist publications. In recent years, the cafe has attracted many bus and tour groups by offering discounts to groups of 20 or more.|ret||ret||tab|

During the summer, it's not unusual to see more than 100 people lined up on the cafe's porch waiting to eat. While they're waiting, some customers spend time shopping in the General Store that carries all sorts of souvenirs.|ret||ret||tab|

Approximately one-third of the employees in Ozark has been with the company for at least one year, Johnson added. Most employees don't say how long they've been with the company; they say how long they've been with the family.|ret||ret||tab|

A few long-time employees, as well as several members of the Lambert family, have shown their devotion in a different way. Paul "Wally" Brewer, who has worked for the Lambert Family since he was 13, and Ben Lambert, who lives in Ozark, each have "Ole Norm" tattooed on their right arm in honor of Norman Lambert, who died in 1996. Another 12 employees and family members, who work at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston or Foley, Ala., also sport the tattoo.|ret||ret||tab|

Not many people can inspire that kind of loyalty. Nor are they able to carry that loyalty over to their business. Lambert's Cafe has developed a quite a following since it opened in 1942, thanks, in large part, to Norman Lambert and the "throwed roll."[[In-content Ad]]