The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Bonnie Johnson, The Quill Staff
The Broadway Cafe
The Broadway Cafe, originally called "The Hurry Back Pool Hall", was opened by Robert Caldwell in 1955.
The building that housed the restaurant was bought from the Henderson County Farm Bureau and located where Fisher's Food Center stands today. The business was moved across the street to it's present location.
Robert "Bob" Caldwell ran the restaurant until 1977.
Johnny Carlson bought the Hurry Back and ran it for a few years until Charlie and Sue Beard purchased it.
Darroll and Judy Gaylord began running it in 1983 and bought it in 1985. Donna and Roger Schaley purchased the restaurant in 1990 and sold it to Carla Holford Bass on September 11, 2000, changing the name to Broadway Cafe thus ending 45 years of being the "Hurry Back".
Carla has been in the restaurant business for 15 years, owning the Feed Store on Route 34 and a cafe in Kirkwood. She was out of the business for two years and worked for other people, but decided to get back into the business and be her own boss.
"You've got to have good help to be able to succeed", Carla said. She has one full time person, Diane Nesbitt and three part time people, Joe Bailey, Julie Pence, and Tina Winston.
"If you ever want to get away for awhile, you need to know the people you leave there are good, trustworthy people. I am fortunate to have those people."
"There are lots of jokesters that come in," Carla said, "but I deal with them, sometimes using a glass of water. There are many people who come from outside the community besides the local customers and the business just keeps on growing."
During the winter Carla offers a Friday Night Special that draws a really good crowd and she trys to cook what the customers like.
Carla doesn't use packaged mixes, but makes everything from scratch.
"I owe my cooking skills to my junior high teacher, Alta Mae Brokaw and to my mother. Both women stressed cooking from scratch, and that lesson has stayed with me."
Carla's concerns for her business and the community are the price of supplies needed for running a restaurant, getting the best quality of food supplies, the price of gas effects the cost of delivery, and maintaining the number of customers.
"I try to keep the cost of the meal low, while at the same time giving large servings and having quality meals". Carla has made a success of her restaurant and the community appreciates having her business.