Vaughn?s gets facelift, new owners

A fixture on Springfield's north side for 35 years, Vaughn's Drive-In at 2415 W. Division, is sporting a new look from its new owners, Pat and Karen Barr.

The Barrs purchased the restaurant in October from its namesake, Vaughn Booth, who bought the restaurant Sept. 8, 1966.

Booth, who ran the eatery with the help of his wife, Hope, and their family, said they decided to sell because it was becoming difficult for them to keep the restaurant up the way they wanted.

Booth said he had a lot of phone calls from interested parties, but he wanted a husband-and-wife team to take over the business. He found the Barrs, who relocated to Spring-field from Denver.

Pat Barr said he and his wife had vacationed in the Ozarks for several years before they decided to look at buying a business in the area. They learned about Vaughn's from an online classified ad.

Pat Barr said the restaurant, which is now decorated in 1960s-era memorabilia, is a perfect fit for them.

He said when they came to town to look at the restaurant, they took some time to drive around the neighborhood, and they liked what they saw of north Springfield.

Far from being a dying area, the Barrs saw lots of new houses mixed in with the old ones.

"We could see that people were taking a lot of pride in improvement, and it stood out to us," Pat Barr said. And they decided that an improved Vaughn's Drive-In is just what the neighborhood needed.

Working with food is nothing new to the Barrs, they said. In Denver, they ran a small catering company, and they also were part of Colorado Catering, one of the largest corporate catering companies in that state, Pat Barr said.

The Barrs operate Vaughn's with the help of two part-time workers and Booth's daughter, Joyce Booth, who works with them during lunch hours two days a week.

They've brought back some long-time Vaughn's favorites, such as Booth's classic coney sauce, hillbilly steak sandwiches and homemade donuts.

The donuts hadn't been made at Vaughn's for at least three years. Barr said right now they make 10 dozen a day, which, according to the sign painted on the window, are "hot and greasy," but if customers keep buying them as they have been, he might have to bring a new employee on board just to make them.

The menu also has some new items, such as Karen Booth's homemade turtle brownies, Pat's chili and "loopee fries," which Karen Booth said are french fries with chili or bacon, colby-jack cheese and jalapeos, and served with ranch dressing.

While the Barrs are busy adding their own touches to their new business, they've also made time to get to know their customers.

"People just have been friendly and very accepting of just about everything that we've done," Karen Barr said.

Her husband added that as far as he's concerned, the people in the neighborhood around Vaughn's are probably "the nicest people in Springfield."

That's an assessment that Booth agrees with, and while he misses running the restaurant that bears his name, he's confident that the Barrs will take good care of customers old and new.

"The people out in that part of town are some of the nicest people ... and when you keep a place clean and treat the people right and keep your prices as low as possible, you don't have anything to worry about," Booth said.

The Barrs are eager to follow Booth's advice.

"It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that if (Booth) made it for 35 years in this neighborhood, then we can do it too," Pat Barr said.

Pat Barr said they'll continue adding to the menu and maybe start offering plate lunches.

He said they might eventually add a little more space to the indoor dining room which seats about 10 now but otherwise, it's going to stay the same.

The restaurant is open 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday 7:30 a.m. -5 p.m. Tuesday Friday and 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday.