Bob Foos
The wait line for a table at Granny Shaffer’s was longer than usual on Sunday as hundreds came for their last plate of catfish and piece of coconut cream pie at the beloved family restaurant.
It’s been widely known for a couple of weeks that owners Debra Riley and Mike Wiggins had decided to close Granny Shaffer’s after July 12.
Granny was Debra’s mom, Karen Shaffer. Karen and her husband, David, originally bought the Dog ’N Suds in Webb City and operated it as a Tastee Freez. Their menu became more varied as they enclosed the canopy to expand their indoor seating.
They changed the name to Granny Shaffer’s in 1983, and then they took the big step of buying the large restaurant at 2728 N. Range Line Road that had been built as an additional Chicken Mary’s location. Their converted drive-in restaurant was demolished by Burger King (which has been demolished by 7 Brew Coffee).
Mike had grown up next door to the Shaffers in Joplin. His mom and Karen were best friends. David hired Mike, at age 11 for 50¢ an hour, to scrub car grills as they entered his two Robo Car Wash locations.
Mike went to college and got in on the ground floor of the computer industry in Kansas City. His career was winding down when the Shaffers told him they could use his help.
That was in 1993, still before the move from South Madison Street to Range Line.
He recalls closing a curtain to accommodate organizations that met there. One of the first was a Kiwanis chapter that folded but kept meeting unofficially as the Liars Club. Mike bought a sign to hang in the room where they met.
In addition to the Liars Club, there are other groups, including Rotary, churches, politicians and families left looking for somewhere else to meet regularly.
As Mike was reminiscing Sunday, he said he’d always considered Granny Shaffer’s not so much as a restaurant but as a community meeting place.
There are a lot of regulars, who Mike has known for years.
Smokers will especially miss Granny Shaffer’s because most restaurants have become smoke-free. Mike says he disagreed with those telling him he should also ban smoking. “I did that (retain a smoking room) on purpose.”
“My book (of life) is really thick, says Mike Wiggins, as he recounts the varied careers he had before joining Granny Shaffer’s. He ran a string of bars when he was young. While he was with Mutual of Omaha, he recruited computer specialists in the Kansas City region.
The job that prepared him for the restaurant business was running a Boy Scout kitchen that fed 75 Scouts three times a day.
The main things about running a restaurant, he says it to “take care of your employees and respect your customers.
He says he’ll miss working with his 45 employees. “They are my family.”
Mike also has a sister in real estate in Lawrence, Kan., who wanted him to move there. He actually has been living there for awhile now.
Now that Granny’s has closed, he says he has a lot to do before the equipment auction at 10 a.m. Monday, July 20.
Regarding the future of the business and building, he says there’s definitely interest: “I could sell it tomorrow.” But he’s negotiating.
