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Lured by the Sign In April off 2022, Don and I had ourselves a mighty fine lunch in Nevada, Missouri!  We couldn't resist the neon sign, with a goofy chef image. Words like "Hamburgers, Susie Qs and Shakes" also appealed. Although I didn't know about Suzie Q's. ? Nevada, MO We were traveling through the town of Nevada, on a Missouri road trip.  That's a story for another day... "Daw" Tangent Well... I'll share just a bit. Daw is my maternal grandmother. She's the standing child, in this photo.  She and her relatives are posing near the Nevada, Missouri State Hospital. Her grandfather was on the board, but I have another relative who came to the mental hospital at another time. He was a patient. The beautiful and eerie building behind my relatives, is no longer standing.  But we found the cemetery. What markings these graves once had, are no longer visible. Sad history and stories here, I'm sure. Lunch But I said the story was for another time. This blog piece is about a very nice little lunch adventure at White Grill.  We arrived at 11:00 am.  Only one of the 11 stools was taken.  It didn't take long for the counter to fill up.
We took a seat in one of the booths. We had lots of condiments and a window with a checkered curtain. We kept an eye on the busy parking lot and the drizzly weather. Quick Order Our server was pleasant, but she was the only one serving. I didn't want to slow her down, so I rushed to order and totally forgot to order Susie Qs! Susie Qs are curly fries, I believe.  The prices looked like they hadn't been raised in a quarter century! A hamburger for $3.25! Grilled Cheese and Tots! I didn't exactly go all out, but I was happy with my choice.
My grilled cheese was $2.15. My tots were $190. Don loves breakfast for lunch, so he was happy, with fried eggs, ham, potatoes and toast.  His piping hot potatoes were more like fried mashed potatoes. Not his favorite, but I could have eaten a bucketful! Pup Encounter The diner was too busy for a chat with staff. But I had a nice chat with a fellow and his dog, Lucy.
Evidently Lucy is a frequent guest and she gets lots of little treats here and there. She couldn't have been sweeter. History on the Walls I was excited to find some framed news clippings, to give me some history. I had to do some math though. This clipping was from 1999, so White Grill is not 61 years old, but 84!  I learned that Harry S. Truman was a fan of the place. His quote was featured, "...best damn hamburgers I ever ate." Back in 1938 Back in 1938, Harold "Red" McLaughlin opened the White Grill. It was the first of a small chain. Besides Harry Truman, who else dined here?  Nevada is 90 miles from Springfield, MO. My dad was 10 years old living in Springfield in 1938. It's possible that any of my numerous Springfield relatives had eaten here. Off We Go We had a satisfying little visit to White Grill. As we headed off, I looked back at the line up of cars at the drive through.  Not that long ago, they had car hop service. All you had to do was honk. Now that would have been a fun step back in time!
Next time I'm having Susie Qs and a shake!
6 Comments
SANDRA K. BRITTINGHAM
3/17/2023 02:46:32 pm
You MISSED the best part! Their speciality, hamburger with grilled onions, Suzie's and Large Cherry Coke! I was born and raised in Nevada Mo.
Beth
3/17/2023 05:02:03 pm
Sandra, you have me so excited to get back to Nevada and order the right thing at White Grill! That sounds so good to me right now!!
Amanda
7/11/2023 09:27:59 pm
I was doing research on the Neveda Hospital because my family is from Neveda and your alert is came up about the white grill and my cousins father in law owns Grill and he’d love to hear your kind words. I’ve been eating here my whole life (my family has been eating here their whole lives as well) and it truly is delicious. 7/12/2023 09:54:07 am
I just did a story for The Musings Magazine, My memories and the history of the White Grill. It goes in depth. The Musings is the Vernon County Historical Society, Bushwhacker Museum quarterly magazine and I am the Editor. If you would like a copy contact the museum at bushwhacker jail.com or phone 417-667-9602. The cost is $3.00 plus postage if you do not live in Nevada. You can join the Society and receive the magazine by mail or online for $20 a year, lots of in depth stories of Vernon County History written by local people who lived the history. If you would like more info on the State Hospital the museum keeps the archives. Thank You, Kaye Brittingham
Beth
7/12/2023 03:06:48 pm
Kaye, thanks so much for sharing about Musings Magazine! It sounds like something that Amanda would be interested in and I will look into it as well!
Beth
7/12/2023 12:30:44 pm
Amanda, thanks so much for sharing about your connection to White Grill! It's so fun to have a place that holds lots of memories... I'm guessing from different stages of your life, with different people! I'm sure you could come up with some good stories. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
October 2025
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