New restaurant provides gathering spot for Glasco residents
There's a new restaurant in Glasco – the Glasco Oven And Tavern – and it's no accident that the initials spell G.O.A.T.
The owners - Tim and Melissa Bonneau – own a goat herd.
“We have 48 goats,” said Tim. “They're mostly Savannas, meat goats, but we also have some breeders.”
Tim and Melissa moved to Glasco in 2018 from the Kansas City area, but Tim's roots were firmly planted in the community. “My father grew up here,” he said. “My mom lived in Beloit.”
Tim has been a telecommunications network engineer for 21 years, and mostly does remote work from home. Melissa has a degree in textile and apparel from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). She and Tim first met in Iowa.
Here's a fun fact: Melissa was a student at UNI when Kurt Warner was the quarterback for the football team. Warner went on to win a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2017.
When they lived in Missouri, the Bonneau's liked to entertain. After they moved to Glasco they quickly realized the small community needed a gathering place in the evenings. “Here (in Glasco), everybody knows everybody. We wanted a place for people to get together and socialize, and also provide a few jobs for the community.”
A sign in front of the G.O.A.T. embodies the Bonneau's mantra: Sit Long... Talk Much... Laugh Often
Had the Bonneau's ever owned or operated a restaurant/bar before? “No,” Tim said, and then added with a smile, “We had a big learning curve.”
The first thing the Bonneau's needed to do was renovate the building at 201 East Main Street. They took out the booths, redid the flooring, stained the walls, added some seating and lights, removed the carpet, and replaced some equipment, mostly in the kitchen. They also had to deal with drainage problems on the patio, and a leaky roof.
“This place is a lot bigger than it looks from the street,” Tim said.
The Bonneaus began work on March 24, and finished exactly 60 days later on May 24. The G.O.A.T. can now seat 30 people in the front bar area, 47 people in the dining room, and over 30 people on the outdoor patio.
To handle the crowds, the G.O.A.T. has eight employees, not counting Tim and Melissa, but including their two children, Madeleine and TJ. Its menu includes popular American fare, as well as a fully-stocked bar. “We do a lot of hamburgers and a lot of pizza,” Tim said. “We get all our meat locally from the Glasco Locker.”
Despite its name, the G.O.A.T. doesn't serve any goat dishes, yet. “There can be good money in goat meat,” Tim said. “Most of it gets shipped to the East and West Coasts.”
For the Bonneaus, aside from their regular jobs and running a restaurant, there's also that goat herd to look after. “They eat a lot and they poop a lot.” Tim said.
Both Tim and Melissa attended a Goat Boot Camp at Oklahoma State University. “It's exactly what it sounds like: a crash course on goat care, breeding, and nutrition,” said Tim.
To protect their herd from coyotes and other predators, the Bonneaus have seven guard dogs – Great Pyrenees – that stay with the herd 24/7. “They're wonderful,”Melissa said. “Very dedicated. They work the herd day and night.”
When the Bonneaus look to the future, they see themselves still in Glasco, still running their restaurant/bar. “We plan on being here for a very long time,” Tim said.
The G.O.A.T. is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. To 10 p.m., and from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. They are closed Sunday-thru-Tuesday.
“Sometimes we have to adjust the hours if we're running late because of chores on the farm,” Melissa said. “But otherwise, come on in and have some great food and conversation with friends.”