Dec. 2, 2005, By JUDY SHERARD, Hays Daily News
PLAINVILLE — Casual attire is suitable for guests at The Red Vest Inn, but the serving staff is clad in red vests, white shirts and black slacks. “They're treated like royalty,” Pam Gehring said of the restaurant's diners. Gehring's mother, Marge McKenna of Palco, owns the restaurant at 201 Madison, and Gehring helps her mother with its operation.
The Inn is located in a former residence that was built in 1910 that's served
as a church rectory in the past. McKenna owned the house, and her son and
daughter-in-law lived there until recently. “They moved and I decided it would
be a good restaurant,” she said.
While the structure made a fine home, it needed considerable work to become a restaurant suitable for dining in a casual elegance reminiscent of a bygone era. It now has all new heating and wiring. “The old furnace, now that was an antique,” Gehring said. Walls were knocked down to create a bar room from a former bedroom and laundry and an expanded restaurant kitchen from the existing one, breakfast room and bathroom. A bathroom was created from a closet at the front of the house.
McKenna said her family, including her brother from Colorado, pitched in to help with the construction.
The former parlor and dining room have retained much of their original charm and character. However, the painted woodwork was stripped down to its original grain, and the French doors leading from the foyer to the main dining rooms are original to the house, Gehring said. McKenna had planned to recarpet those rooms, but ripping up the worn carpeting revealed hardwood floors worthy of refinishing. “It's more homey,” McKenna said of the wood floors. Wanting a more intimate feel, the restaurant's furniture came from a furniture store rather than a restaurant supply house.
There are 10 employees in addition to McKenna and Gehring, with Carolyn Gehring serving as the head waitress. The family started working on the structure the second week in September; the restaurant opened Nov. 11, Gehring said. With so little time to prepare, some projects aren't complete. McKenna plans to renovate two of the larger upstairs bedrooms into a waiting room for diners and a private dining room. She also wants to establish a veranda on the spacious porch.
McKenna worked in the restaurant business when she was younger, she said. Though a chef will prepare the food Friday and Saturday evenings, much of the cooking is McKenna's responsibility. “I started cooking when I was 8. My grandma was a good cook. It was all done with a pinch here and a pinch there,” McKenna said. Since she opened the restaurant, Gehring has been watching her cook to learn the recipes that have never been written down.
McKenna declined to name a specialty, but Gehring said the chicken and noodles and the homemade pies are among her favorites. The restaurant also features homemade soups and breads, as well as steaks and other dishes. “Old-time cooking with cream and butter,” McKenna said.
“The atmosphere sells the restaurant,” Pam Gehring said. “It's a nice cozy place to come to,” McKenna said. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Reporter Judy Sherard can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 138, or by e-mail at jsherard@dailynews.net.
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