We asked, you answered: Here are the Springfield restaurants News-Leader readers miss most

Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
·3 min read

On Tuesday, the Springfield News-Leader shared which restaurants Reddit users wished would come back, based on a post by u/renny065 in the Springfield, Missouri, subreddit. We polled our own readers on which restaurants they missed most. A little over 2,300 people responded, and here's what they said:

Grad School and its owner are missed most

With nearly 23% of the vote, Grad School topped our readers' list. The greasy spoon-type diner was known for its Full Ride burger and wide menu. In addition to voting, many comments on Facebook expressed fondness for the late owner Danny Schlink and grief over his December 2022 death.

"Forget the restaurant. Can we just get Danny back?" Shannon Handwerker commented on a link to the story shared in the "Welcome to Springfield MO | Connecting YOU to OUR Community" group.

While much of the Grad School menu was available at Schlink's other restaurant J.O.B., the public house didn't have "quite the same hole-in-the-wall, greasy spoon vibe," Ashley Mann said in a comment on the News-Leader Facebook page. Both J.O.B. and Primetime, another of Schlink's ventures, have since closed after his death.

Don't want to miss out? Stay in the loop with the News-Leader's Restaurant Roundup newsletter

Trotter's retains its second place

Trotter's Bar-B-Q was the second most-missed restaurant, according to News-Leader readers. The buffet earned about 18% of readers' votes. The restaurant had multiple locations, including two in Springfield, and was known not only for its barbecue, but also for its buffet and pie selection.

"I used to eat so many strawberries off the Trotter’s buffet, I’d get a rash!" commented Diane Hart in the "Welcome to Springfield MO | Connecting YOU to OUR Community" group.

Comments on the News-Leader post reminisced about the French silk pie, with Jean Wiltshire calling it "the best french silk pie in the world!!!"

Shady Inn moves up to third place

Shady Inn overtook Mr. Gatti's as readers' third most-missed Springfield restaurant with about 16% of the vote. The piano bar known for its prime rib was at 524 W. Sunshine St. until Dec. 31, 2001. The property was sold to Johnny Morris and the Wonders of Wildlife Museum now sits at that location.

In addition to its prime rib, commenters in the "Welcome to Springfield MO | Connecting YOU to OUR Community" group recalled enjoying other items: Lonnie Joe Willis mentioned the fried mushrooms, Debbie Lowry Baker brought up the French onion soup, and JP Hunt left a comment about the Long Island tea.

More: OTC student restaurant open for fall semester; Missouri Mike's closes Battlefield location

Aunt Martha's Pancake House closed in October 2015.
Aunt Martha's Pancake House closed in October 2015.

Here's how the rest of the restaurants ranked ...

The results have been rounded to the nearest tenth.

4. Zio's: 15.1%;

5. Aunt Martha's Pancake House: 10.4%;

6. Big Fat Burrito: 4.7%;

7. Anton's: 4.6%;

8. Steak Out: 3.7%;

9. Mr. Gatti's: 2.6%;

10. Soo's: 1.8%.

... and here are some of the 'write-in' submissions

While the original story was based on Reddit's list, the News-Leader also got quite a few "write-ins," either by email or Facebook comments.

The ones that appeared the most were Ebenezer's (33 comments), Hamby's (21 comments) and Heritage Cafeteria (14 comments and two emails).

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Grad School is restaurant Springfield News-Leader readers miss most