Family meals take on extra meaning at Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Greenbrier, where sisters Trish Nelson and Lavonda “Sissy” Ruple welcome customers to their family business.
Nelson, manager and server, joined the restaurant 30 years ago after graduating high school. Ruple, a server, began working at the restaurant full-time 26 years ago, but she said she has had a hand in the business since her parents, Lawrence and Bonnie Nelson, bought it in 1991.
“Everyone in the family has taken a turn working at Wagon Wheel,” Ruple said. “I started working full-time in 1998 when the company I worked for in Conway closed.”
She added that her responsibilities include serving and working as a hostess and cashier.
“I leave the cooking to the pros in the kitchen but will help them in a pinch, if needed,” she said.
Nelson’s role is to keep the wheels turning at Wagon Wheel. She said her foremost duty is serving customers with a smile, but she also schedules employee shifts, orders everything needed for day-to-day operations and lends a hand in the kitchen.
“It is very hard work, but at the same time, very rewarding,” she said. “You meet so many people from different walks of life and everyone becomes family.”
She added that her favorite thing about serving is meeting customers and creating bonds that help them feel like family. One regular eats at the business twice a day when it is open, she said.
“I have admired the number of people that travel [U.S. 65], going to Branson, [Missouri], and make it a point to stop by our restaurant on their way through every time,” she added. “I enjoy getting to catch up with each of them when they stop in.”
Although many servers have stories about nightmare customers, Ruple said Wagon Wheel has more good customers than bad ones. She added that she will never forget a lady who left her a letter filled with compliments and encouragement.
“To say we’ve been blessed with many, many wonderful regulars is an understatement,” she said. “They are more than customers; they are friends and family.”
She added that she is grateful to her parents for buying the restaurant, which allows the family to develop long-lasting relationships in the community.
“It is overwhelming to think about all the people who have truly become family, and I look forward to seeing their faces each and every day because they are the ones who make the wheel go round,” she said. “We wouldn’t be here today without them, the help and support from the rest of our family, and our faithful employees.”
Ruple agreed that a combination of great customers, friendly employees and family ties is a winning recipe.
“Wagon Wheel has many spokes that make it turn,” she said. “Our employees are the best. Many have been with us for several years. Of course, our customers are what keeps the doors open, and finally, family. We have a close, loving, hardworking family led by two of the best parents in the world.”
All three mealtimes have a presence at Wagon Wheel. Ruple recommended breakfast customers start the day with a sausage, jalapeño and Jack cheese omelet, as well as a biscuit with chocolate gravy.
Breakfast at Wagon Wheel Restaurant
“We grew up on chocolate gravy, and ours is made from scratch,” she said.
For lunch, she recommended the Trail Blazer, a roast-beef sandwich with grilled onions and Jack cheese that is served with hot, crispy french fries. Chicken-fried steak or chicken are the top picks from dinner, she said, and they come with a choice of three well-seasoned vegetables and a roll or cornbread. Try the banana split pie for dessert.
Other favorites include pancakes, cheeseburgers and fried fish, she said.
Nelson recommended the Ruple burger with fries, homemade onion rings and homemade fried mushrooms.
“Although I love several of our sandwiches we have, my favorite thing is the home-cooked veggies we prepare fresh daily with a chicken-fried chicken we batter in our homemade batter or our fried fish,” she said.
Chicken-Fried Chicken at Wagon Wheel Restaurant
Many restaurants have had a tough time during the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic troubles, and Wagon Wheel is no exception, Nelson said.
“We have overcome this with a steady pace of putting one foot in front of the other,” she said. “We have loyal employees that have made everything easier from day to day.”
Ruple agreed, saying, “COVID was a challenge for everyone, but our parents have been great examples of how to run a business throughout the highs and lows.”
She added that it is important for servers to learn how to budget their money, since their earnings on a Tuesday or Thursday could be vastly different from what they earn on a Friday or Saturday.
“I’ve always said that everyone should work in food service, if only for a day or two,” she added. “It would give you a whole new appreciation for your server, your cook, even the dishwasher that washed your plate and fork.”
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