During the 20-year run of The Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," celebrity chef Guy Fieri has visited every state in the United States. Iconic food and an old-school dining experience drew Fieri to Bobos Drive-In for filming of season three, episode nine in May 2007. Recently, to celebrate the 40th season, the show chose one gem restaurant from each state.
Bobos was the gem of Kansas. Owners Richard and Tricia Marsh learned the news from customers.
"I was surprised and really honored," Tricia says. "They've been to places in Kansas City, Wichita, and other cities in Kansas, and for them to pick Bobos was just such a privilege. It doesn't just recognize Bobos, but it recognizes our city and our community."
That Bobos community is very loyal and has been since the restaurant opened in 1948. Many long-time customers are now sharing the drive-in experience with their children and grandchildren. Many come in every week, and a few even stop in every day.
Tricia says, "We have one customer who's been coming to Bobos from the very beginning, since he was in his 20s. He will be 103 in December, and he still comes in with his kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. It's truly a blessing to have someone so loyal to Bobos all these years."
Bob and Elsie Bobo, along with their son Orville, started Bobos in 1948 at 1212 SW Huntoon, then opened a second drive-in at 10th and MacVicar in 1953. That original location closed in 1988. Bob Humes bought the 10th Avenue restaurant that same year.
Richard and Tricia were frequent customers of Bobos. In 2007, they seized the opportunity to purchase the drive-in when it went up for sale. The couple wanted a business they could run together despite not having any restaurant experience.
The restaurant's appearance remains essentially unchanged from 72 years ago, except for a few adjustments to its color palette over the years. The interior seating area retains a 1950s ambiance. Car hops watch for every new customer who pulls into a drive-up spot, coming out to take an order using pencil and paper.
"We run out and take their order like they used to back in the day," Tricia says. "We try to get out as fast as we can, but it's tough sometimes because we've got so many customers coming in. Still, it's a tradition for us just to come out when people pull up to the drive-in."
The menu hasn't changed much, either. (The original menu boards are part of the Kansas Museum of History's collection.) Customers can still order a steakburger with the popular Spanish sauce, a pork tender sandwich, chili, Satin Freeze ice cream, and apple pie, just as their counterparts did in 1948. A plastic bag containing cards with the original recipes came with the key when Tricia and Richard bought the restaurant. They are kept so secret that even Guy Fieri was kept in the dark while filming in the kitchen.
One fun fact: Topeka City Lifestyle publisher Brian Rodehorst's grandmother, Renata Rodehorst, made those apple pies for about 30 years, starting in the mid-1950s. Brian's father, Larry, remembers her leaving the house between 3 and 4 a.m. each day to bake the pies in time for the lunch service.
"Every once in a while, I'd go there with her when I was really young," Larry remembers. "They had one of the old crank apple peelers, and I'd peel the apples for her. But I didn't go up there very often because she would go to work so early."
Tricia and Richard are happy that the next generation of their family is now working at the restaurant. Their son Tristan first worked for them as a dishwasher when he was eleven years old. Now he's helping out part-time after six years in the Air Force and has gained his own regulars who come in to see him.
"One day, we're hoping our kids take over and feel the same responsibility to the restaurant and its history that we do," Tricia says.