The Mouth of McLouth

Bartlett’s Fried Chicken does it like you wish you could do it

Monday, May 8, 2006

Photo by Richard Gintowt

Karen Bartlett, proprietor of Bartlett's Chicken in McLouth

Karen Bartlett could use a nap.

Day after day the hungry Bartlett disciples come — from St. Joseph, Atchison, Topeka, Valley Falls, Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Mission, Parkville and who-knows-where-else. They come in 50-strong Christian biker packs and they come in cuddly college couples. They come for birthdays and they come for funerals.

Needless to say, Bartlett’s Fried Chicken & Catering doesn’t need to advertise.

“We got a lot of people out here already,” says Karen, who owns and manages the restaurant with her husband, Butch. “We started closing on Mondays and Tuesdays ‘cause I had to have two days rest.”

While other McLouth restaurants have come and gone, Bartlett’s has been a fixture of the tiny downtown. The decade-old establishment serves gut-busting portions of fried chicken, ribs, steak, catfish and sandwiches to go with homemade dinner rolls, cornbread, breaded tomatoes, muffins and pies.

Destination: Bartlett’s Fried Chicken, McClouth

Round trip: 36 miles

Gas needed:

in 2006 Ford Explorer: $6.00

in 1998 Honda Civic: $2.75

in 1968 Chevy Camaro Rally Sport: $10.25

”I don’t mean to toot my horn or anything, but people go by a lot of restaurants just to come here,” Karen says. “I don’t understand why, because it’s just plain home cooking. We’re not fancy like your big ones in Lawrence and Kansas City.”

Yet that’s precisely why McLouth resident John Daniels dines there every week.

“It’s good home cooking at a reasonable price,” he says. “They have a nice staff and they treat you like family. They have a wide variety of food — if you’re one who gets bored, this is a nice place to come.”

Bartlett's Fried Chicken & Catering

408 S. Union St., McLouth, KS

Karen, 56, headed up The Porter House in Basehor and then Bonner Springs before relocating to McLouth. Originally known as Harvest House, she decided to change the restaurant’s name as a tribute to Butch’s mother.

“The poor woman had 16 kids,” she explains. “And three sets of twins.”

Karen’s 77-year-old aunt Norma Thomas cooks the pies from scratch every morning. The two racks of rotating plates are a sight to behold: banana, butterscotch, peanut-butter cream, lemon, blueberry, blackberry, cherry, apple, peach, pecan, fresh strawberry and the uber-rich “millionaire” slice (pecan, coconut and chocolate chip).

“It’s too easy to go ahead and buy pies that are already made,” Bartlett says. “There’s just not much home cooking left.”

Photo by Richard Gintowt

The restaurant’s $8.95 buffet satiates the dinner diners, while the 1-pound ham steak is a favorite with the Saturday and Sunday breakfast crowd. A candy counter keeps the kids sugared up and an abundance of cozy booths accommodate large groups.

Visitors can browse the wall of McLouth newspaper clippings to learn the stories behind such infamous headlines as “Larry Shade Escapes Death” (he tumbled into a large corn auger and lost a leg). An adjacent wall sports the family photos of Bartlett’s regulars — feel free to add your own.

Though the Bartlett family put their restaurant up for sale four years ago, they have yet to find a buyer. They’d like to pass it on to a younger couple who will keep it a restaurant, but they’re willing to sell it to anyone who puts up the $200,000.

“If they keep it pretty much the same they’ll do very well,” Karen says. “You got built-in customers if you take care of them.”

Photo by Richard Gintowt

In the meantime, Bartlett’s will keep serving up comfort food and hospitality.

“As long as I’m physically able, I’ll keep it going,” Karen says. “I feel obligated.”

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The Mouth of McLouth

Bartlett’s Fried Chicken does it like you wish you could do it

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