Chamber Spotlight ~ Cap's Cabin Restaurant
The first time I walked into Cap’s Cabin Restaurant located at 1607 Gulf Street in Lamar, I evaluated that the owners took great pride in the atmosphere of their business. Co-Owner Lacy James confirmed this during our time together when she said, “One of our main goals in creating the interior of the restaurant was to make it homey and for customers to feel like they were coming into our home for a meal.” The nautical themed red, white, and blue interior screams a quaint New England, Fish & Chips establishment by the sea. However, when you exit you remember you are still in the landlocked state of Missouri.
Owners, Charles and Lacy are no strangers to the food industry, Lacy worked in several restaurants in Oklahoma growing up and James a native of Liberal, MO also worked at the original Taco Palace in Lamar. When they opened Cap’s Cabin in April of 2016 it was the very first restaurant they would be the sole proprietors of after close to 30 years of owning a plumbing business in the Kansas City area. Charles family lives in the area and that was the pull to get them to make the move to our rural community. I for one am certainly glad they did and enjoy their menu of burgers, fish & chips.
One of the greatest challenges they faced was on opening day of the restaurant. They planned on preparing about 40 meals for their customers, but the turnout was overwhelming and they exceeded 150 meals during that day. WOW…that is Crazy to have almost 4 times more business than you were expecting. Of course, things have evened out and they know what to predict on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. An interesting fact they shared is that those traveling through Lamar tend to eat mostly fish & chips, the locals, however, know they have amazing burgers on the menu as well and tend to eat more of those. When asked what their greatest achievement has been, both confirm that visiting with customers, people enjoying their food & all those who drive great distances to try their restaurant is very satisfying.
So what is next for Cap’s Cabin? They will be expanding their operation by moving on to the west side of the Lamar Square, to a storefront at 1033 Gulf Street. The Cap’s Cabin quality, menu, hours and atmosphere will remain unchanged. However, there will be a much larger seating area to accommodate patrons that would like to dine inside. The “Grand Opening” is tentatively scheduled for the week following the Lamar Free Fair. So stay tuned for the Chamber covering this expansion to our square. We are so proud of Lacy & Charles and wish them the very best in this move to make our downtown area more alive with business. When I asked if they had any final thoughts to share in the article, they stated how much they appreciate each one of you eating lunch and bringing your families to dine at Cap’s Cabin. They are very humbled with the success they have experienced and grateful to be a part of our community. I think I can speak for many, that we are glad that they are here Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CapsCabinRestaurant/ or give them a call for take-out orders at (417)295-1117.
