Excerpt from the article "The American Diner and a City" by Editor Josh Stevens
Copyright 2002 Gateway Heritage, Fall Issue, Vol. 23, No. 2, the Quarterly Magazine of the Missouri Historical Society.

Goody Goody Diner
5900 Natural Bridge Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri
Open Monday through Friday, 6 A.M. to 2 P.M.,
and Saturday, 7 A.M. to 2 P.M.

One of St. Louis's best-known places, Goody Goody started on a site first occupied by a "walk-up" A&W root beer stand. Seventeen years later, in 1948, Cecil Thompson transformed the site into a drive-in, a type of eatery that derived from diners and took a sizeable share of their market in the 1950s.

When Herb and Viola Connelly took the reigns from Thompson in 1954, they continued the drive-in tradition, complete with carhops and curbside service. So perhaps it is ironic that over the next few decades Goody Goody would evolve into a diner, defying -- if not reversing -- history.

While the Goody Goody diner replaced the drive-in, more significant factors help maintain the establishment as a staple of its neighborhood. The most compelling seems to have been the will and personal character of the Connellys, who ensured that their restaurant would survive even as the commercial base around it crumbled. The Connellys navigated Goody Goody through difficult times following a change in the neighborhood's racial dynamics during the 1960s and the subsequent exodus of white people from north city (precipitating a similar response from other businesses there). Unlike many other business owners in north city, however, the Connellys -- themselves white -- felt they had benefited from the neighborhood too much to justify leaving. Their commitment to the neighborhood, even through its decline, kept Goody Goody from closing or leaving with the rest. The similar attitude and business acumen of their son Richard keeps it alive today, along with a firmly rooted customer base that includes businessmen from nearby industrial complexes, area politicians, and city employees.

Despite the diner's broad appeal, the strongest customer presence comes from the neighborhood itself. Whereas another revered and historic eatery in north city, Crown Candy Kitchen, relies on a largely non-neighborhood clientele, Goody Goody finds support primarily from neighborhood folks. The diner is not merely within but is of its surroundings; as a result, it depends upon nearby residents for business.

No one realizes this and other challenges more than Richard Connelly, who, in addition to running a highly organized and efficient operation, has adapted Goody Goody to ensure its viability. He uses a personal touch, meeting and interacting with customers regularly to foster relationships with them. Also, he has implemented change throughout his ownership by expanding the dining space, adding a polished, renovated look, and offering unique and distinctive meals on his menu. No longer does Goody Goody provide merely drive-in fare; it now makes its mark as a first-class breakfast diner, serving various, and numerous, combinations of eggs with spinach, catfish, pork chops, and other items (a similar menu transformation has occurred at the Olivette Diner in west St. Louis County, where feta, lox, and other ingredients appear in its myriad breakfast combos).

To refine Goody Goody's culinary quality, Connelly recently hired a chef. The upgrades and additions expand an already-hefty menu and help return old customers and attract new ones -- although the latter sometimes come with reluctance. According to Connelly, some outsiders remain leery of the diner's predominantly black neighborhood:

"One of the things that's difficult about this neighborhood is the perception people have of it. Last week, after we were written up in the newspaper, a lady called to ask for directions from McKnight Road. When I gave her directions and told her we were at the corner of Natural Bridge near Goodfellow, I could hear the excitement leave her voice.... I guess we always had the choice to leave, but I've been here since I was thirteen years old and now I'm sixty-one. And I'm here because of the people and because of our place in the neighborhood."

The value of Connelly's eatery is part sentimental, part commercial, and part symbolic. The diner illustrates that an enlightened mentality willing to face adversity can overcome challenges. In doing so, it proves the ability to sustain and even to bring prosperity.

Our thanks to Josh Stevens, Gateway Heritage magazine and the Missouri Historical Society for the article. More information on Missouri history can be found at the Missouri Historical Society's Website, www.mohistory.org.

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