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Mid Rivers Newsmagazine is St. Charles County's
exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper. |
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Restaurant Spotlight Archive |
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Tony’s West Features Missouri’s Largest OmeletBy Mary Ann O'Toole Holley
Then, just a week after opening Tony’s West, on their first Sunday in business, there were 80 people filling their tables and 80 people lined out the door. “That first Sunday, I wanted to lock the door,” said Dan Strantz. “So we chucked the menu and started an all-day double-line Sunday buffet ($8.95 adults; $5.95 children 3 to 10 years; and free for children under 3). There was no other way we could handle the crowd.” Tony’s West, at Hwy. 94 and Wolfrum Road in Weldon Spring, is the evolution of Tony’s at Natural Bridge and McKelvey, a neighborhood greasy spoon that lured patrons with its reputation as home of Missouri’s largest omelet — an culinary creation of eight eggs, plenty of cheese and ham if you want it ($5.75-$6.90 served with pancakes or toast). The old Tony’s burned to the ground Dec. 1. Now, the Strantzes are proud to carry on a new era of the “greasy spoon” with their move to St. Charles County. “When I put up the white cotton curtains, someone told me, “now, it’s looking like a greasy spoon,’” Dan Strantz said. “We’re not fancy, but our food is made to order. And if you look at this place, it’s almost identical to the old Tony’s, except the equipment is new and we have a non-smoking section.” A huge stainless steel grill serves as centerpiece at Tony’s West. Then, of course, there’s the dining counter with simple chrome stools and a clear view of where the omelets are born. Tony’s is an icon for good, home-style cookin’, where the coffee is always hot and the grill is always sizzling. Debbie Strantz had been involved in the family business since she was a teenager. She said she nearly lived at the restaurant, helping her father, Tony Fileccia, run the place well into her adulthood. “When my dad died, my mother took over the business until it burned, but we helped her run it,” Debbie Strantz said. “It was a hard decision not to rebuild in the same location, but now we’re carrying on my father’s name and tradition in St. Charles County.” The Strantzes couldn’t stand to see the end to a lifetime that entwined them so closely. Now, their own three children help at Tony’s West. Their daughters, Ashley, 19, Danielle, 17, and Anthony, 14, wait tables and do the dishwashing. “It was nothing but a hole in the wall,” Debbie Strantz said of the old place situated between a shoe repair shop and a Seven-11. “But my husband proposed to me in the kitchen and my daughter took her first steps in the dining room. Now, my grandbabies will have this place to grow up.” Yes, Tony’s West is indeed back, and by today’s standards, it’s still a hole in the wall, but the restaurant is new and spacious and tables reconfigure at least 80 times a day, Dan Strantz said. “We wanted to recreate the café where you get home-style food at a reasonable price,” said Dan Strantz. “We get people who come in various groups, and customers are free to move the tables around and make themselves comfortable.” Tony’s West offers a complete menu of everything from grilled cheese ($2.25) to deluxe chef salads ($6.50) to plate lunches and deep fried shrimp served with dinner salad, fries and Texas toast ($7.25). Monday through Friday plate lunch specials are always popular.
Tony’s West 1009 Wolfrum Road Weldon Spring, MO 63304 Phone: 636-329-8985 Breakfast served all day, Lunch and Dinner
Hours: Monday – Saturday 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. Plate lunch served 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. All-Day Sunday Buffet (6 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
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Dan and Debbie Strantz admit being nervous opening a restaurant “across the river” after 33 years of close family involvement in one of the most popular places in Northwest St. Louis County.
