AIRPORT RESTAURANT CLOSES BECAUSE OF LACK OF TRAFFIC

On Saturday, Ron Woodard became the third restauranteur in as many years to close an eatery at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Woodard said the closure won't affect operations at the Woodard's in Jackson, which has been successful since its January opening. He blamed lack of traffic at the airport for his decision to close after less than two months.

"We knew the airport was a high-risk maneuver," he said. "We went out there with the assumption that if anything was wrong with the market, we had the right to get out."

Cape Girardeau's Airport Advisory Board had hoped for more traffic, but it didn't appear, Woodard said. He plans to continue looking for other restaurant locations in the area.

Airport manager Greg Chenoweth said the board has formed a subcommittee to determine the restaurant facility's future.

"A restaurant is really an important part of an airport," he said. "It can be a social hub. We hope something positive comes out of this."

Past history indicates the restaurant is a risky business proposition. In the fall of 1994, the city took over its operation from former lessee Mary Bergen. Trevier Minton began leasing the restaurant in December 1995 and went out of business earlier this year.

The Woodard family reopened the airport restaurant in September. The family opened its first restaurant in Bell City in 1979, moving to Delta in 1981.

A need for more space prompted the move to Jackson, where the restaurant took over the old Golden Corral building.