WOODARD'S MAY LOCATE AT AIRPORT

After having three restaurant operators in as many years, those running Cape Girardeau Regional Airport are ready for some permanence.

They hope Ronald and Glenda Woodard can give it to them.

The Cape Girardeau City Council will decide tonight whether to let the Woodards, who own a family restaurant of the same name in Jackson, lease the airport restaurant. Members of the Airport Advisory Board have suggested councilmen approve the arrangement.

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 facility remained closed while city staff marketed it to local restaurateurs. Airport Manager Greg Chenoweth said five were targeted, but only Ronald and Glenda Woodard replied.

Having the restaurant open will be an added incentive for pilots to stop in Cape Girardeau, Chenoweth said. A pilot himself, Chenoweth likes to stop at places where he can fuel his plane and his body before taking off again.

Business people who make a brief stop at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport may like the place so much they consider putting facilities in the area.

Airport restaurants also generate money for cities. In Cape Girardeau's case, the Woodards' rent will be based on their annual gross sales. If they sell $150,000 in food this year, for example, they will pay 1.5 percent of that amount to the city.

J. Fred Waltz, Advisory Board chairman, said the Woodards seemed like a good match for the airport. They formerly operated a restaurant in nearby Delta and could retain their customer base there. The new, larger restaurant in Jackson has been busy since its January opening.

If the City Council approves the restaurant proposal, Ron Woodard Jr. likely will open his parents' new restaurant around Sept. 1. It will be called Woodard's Regional Diner and offer hot plate lunches instead of the trademark buffet.

Woodard said he isn't concerned about the location's past history.

"It has great potential that was never tapped," he said. "You have to serve good food and put the word out. You have to advertise and let people know you're there."

Woodard plans to offer special food discounts when employees of nearby factories present proper identification. The food will be ready quickly so they can eat and get back to work, he said.

The restaurant initially will serve breakfast and lunch, staying open until 2 p.m. If business is good, hours may be expanded.

No liquor will be served. The bar area will be used to dispense sodas and juice, but no alcohol.

The Woodard 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.