Justin and Elizabeth Parker recently turned their passion for family cooking into a new family restaurant.
The couple purchased the property that was once Johnny’s Homestyle Buffet Restaurant, located at 4803 West Blvd. in Poplar Bluff and have already started renovating the building.
The restaurant will now be the Parker Family Kitchen.
Justin and his wife Elizabeth, both graduates of Neelyville High School, are lifelong residents of the area.
“I am a realtor for Mossy Oak and my wife has worked for the Social Security Administration since she was 18,” said Parker.
Parker said they have enlisted the help of his father, Richie Parker, to run the new business.
“My dad was involved in a lot of distribution things and grocery management. He’s been a car dealer the last few years, but he wants to run this.”
Richie Parker explained he didn’t have experience in the restaurant business, but said, “I love it, I just love cooking and there’s a good crew here. I just help where I’m needed.”
He said the business for the most part would remain the same, but they had hired some new waitstaff they felt were needed.
“There have already been a lot of compliments on the ribs on our Facebook page. We’re doing those a little different, we slow cook them on a big smoker,” said Richie Parker.
He said they also intend to offer ribs packaged to go.
“None of us have experience in the restaurant businesses,” Parker said with a laugh, but he, his wife and his family have high hopes of running a family-oriented, successful restaurant business.
The family said they’re not really changing anything, just adding a little bit.
“It is always a buffet style, kind of down-home cooking,” said Parker. “We have a full menu and I’m going be implementing — later on, once some things kind of come into fruition — a steak night. We’re doing a lot of smoked meats in the big commercial smoker that we’ve got and the rotisserie smoker. We’re going to specialize in ribs. We love ribs.”
The Parker Family Kitchen will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Parker said hours are subject to change a little in the near future.
“Eventually we’re going to try Thursdays and maybe opening at 5 in the morning a little bit down the road,” he said.
“We’re going to have a new look and a few things will have a new taste, but for the most part, everything is going to stay the same. We are just looking forward to it. We have a lot of friends and family and community support,” said Richie Parker.
For more information, check out Parker’s Family Kitchen on Facebook.