Kansas and One Dollar Lunch

 Kansas and One Dollar Lunch

 

April 24, 2000

After surviving a two-inch deluge in Wichita, we observed the sun break through the clouds.  Cruising easily through the grass-covered, flint hills of eastern Kansas, we happened upon the town of Yates Center.  A small sign on the highway advertised the historic town square.  Tiring of driving and on a whim, I turned our 35-foot motorhome down one of the narrow, brick- covered streets.  Like so many towns in the United States that happen to be the county seat, the center of the town is occupied by a courthouse – in this case, a handsome, red brick structure.  The square surrounding the courthouse gave a quick appearance of a town on the decline.  Many of the businesses on the town square sold antiques.  Several buildings were for rent or sale.  

Courthouse

 

A beautiful old sandstone hotel stood mostly empty on one corner.  A weather-beaten sign advertised a bakery and donut shop inside.  Upon entering, we found the room empty of customers and we bought a couple of day-old donuts.  A postcard on the counter showed a photo of the old hotel and explained that the owner was Ellen Steele.  “I’m Ellen Steele,” explained the lady who sold us the donuts.  “You are just in time to get lunch at Frannie’s,” she said.  Following her directions, we crossed to the far side of the square where we found Frannie’s.  Up the old wooden stairs, and across the hall from a decaying, vacant opera house, we found newspaper articles tacked onto a bare wall.  The following, which had appeared in some local paper, was displayed without an author or source cited:

Lunch for $1 at Frannie’s

Pat at Frannie's Door

When it comes to dining out, a dollar doesn’t go very far anymore.  Except at Frannie’s -- Yates Center’s most popular restaurant.  A recent lunch consisted of ham, green beans, a baked potato, bread and margarine and all the coffee and tea diners could drink for a solitary sawbuck.  That covered everything except the few extra cents the State of Kansas added for taxes.

A Tuesday feature was a sloppy joe, corn, and applesauce, plus coffee and tea, again just one dollar.  Taco salad and drinks are always Friday’s buck special.

And the portions aren’t skimpy either. The average diner goes away full.  Those who still have room for dessert have a wide selection of Frannie’s house-baked pies.

Frannie

 

Frannie’s is located upstairs in the Light Hardware Company building on the southeast corner of the city square.  Its proprietor is Frannie Ward, age 64, one of the best cooks anywhere.  From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., five days a week for the past decade, she’s been preparing her delicious meals and the price has never changed.  There’s always a full house.

Another thing is unusual about Frannie’s.  It’s something that has prompted reporters from the nightly newscasts of ABE, CBS and NBC, the “Mike and Mattie Show” and magazines like Woman’s Day, to seek her out.  She operates on the honor system.

The cash register drawer is always open and customers may make their own change.  Frannie and the two ladies that work for her haven’t the time, nor the inclination, to act as cashiers.

Has anyone taken advantage of the situation?

“Not that I know of,” she replies.  “And even if they did I feel that anyone who needs it that much is welcome to it.”

Frannie became Yates Center’s best-known cook out of necessity.  When her husband, Keith, suffered a stroke and was later diagnosed with cancer, the medical bills bankrupted them.  The owner of a local factory knew of her plight and called to see if she could remedy a problem he had.  Production was fine in the morning, he said, but after his employees had filled up on junk food over the noon hour, it dropped dramatically.  Would she cater decent meals and, if so, how much would they cost?

Like nearly everyone else in Woodson County, Frannie enjoys the spirit of the holidays.  In her case, though, it means there’s a lot more work to be done.  There are decorations to put out, a turkey special to plan and the oven on from just after sunup to at least 5 p.m.

“The day before Thanksgiving I baked 82 special order pies,” she recalls.  “I mean to tell you when I left that night I was all done in.”      

She has charged only one dollar per meal for many years and refuses to increase her price.  However, many folks voluntarily pay more.  Because she has received such good publicity for her dollar meals, she feels some obligation to continue the tradition. 

A free lunch?  Well, no!  There is still no such thing as a free lunch.  But Frannie provides about the closest thing I have seen.  So, Pat and I enjoyed some of Frannie's home-cooked food and decided that the meal was really worth at least $10 and the entertainment value another $10.  Satiated and happy, we dropped $20 into the till and left Yates Center in search of more gentle adventures.