Published: February 28, 2008 04:45 pm         

The Farm House Restaurant in Lake Park

Remove the sign and The Farm House Restaurant at 5123 Mill Store Road in Lake Park resembles the old farm house Grandpa and Grandma used to live in, not a restaurant seating some 200 men, women and children. Its wide and welcoming porch might remind many a guest of a Sunday afternoon family get-together, of kids playing chase beneath old oak trees and of casual conversations over tall glasses of sweet tea and plates of southern favorites.

The Farm House Restaurant was built in 1964. Its ownership recently changed when Greg Bennett, a 12-year veteran of the United States Air Force and former information technology specialist from the corporate world, decided to return to his southern roots and his parents. He purchased the restaurant on August 3, 2005, hired his mother, Pat Bennett, as his chief financial officer and never looked back on his formerly fast-paced life.

“Not once in a million years did I ever dream that I would own a restaurant,” he said. “It feels good. I just sort of fell into it and thought I would give it a chance. I knew that I had the necessary people and management skills from my time serving in the Air Force and working in the corporate world and felt confident those skills would help me be successful in the restaurant business. I was right to trust my instincts. It all just came together for me.”

Bennett noted that he was extremely fortunate to have inherited an established business such as The Farm House Restaurant in Lake Park. Preparing the foods his guests enjoy are 26-year veterans Evelyn Hickey and Rutha May Rayam and 18-year veteran Mary Calderon. Managing the kitchen is Kaderick Walker, who has been at the restaurant for 17-plus years, and serving the food is 29-year veteran Lisa Chitty. Geneva Guess has been in the Country Gift Shop for 36 years.

“Our consistency keeps our guests coming back for more,” he added. “Our food tastes the same no matter how often or when someone stops in to eat it, and our customer service is good. We even have several Interstate 75 travelers who plan their stops around when they want to eat here. We know that we are doing things right. My goal as owner is to take what we have and continue to make it better.”

“Sometimes I stand up front at the checkout and listen to what people are talking about,” he said. “I have heard our guests say on numerous occasions that our food is the best they ever had, but there’s just too much of it. That is a ‘complaint’ you look forward to hearing.”

Bennett enjoys seeing the faces of his regulars — many of them visit The Farm House Restaurant at least twice a day, seven days a week — and knows exactly who will walk through his doors and when. Sam and Jan Agner of Madison, Florida, eat dinner at the restaurant every weeknight because of “the good food, the good service and how we are made to feel very welcome ... like a part of the family.”

“We have a good and loyal customer base,” noted Bennett. “Interstate 75 could shut down today and I could still continue to operate this restaurant. Of course, that does not mean for one second that we do not welcome or need more business. We could always use more business.”

The Farm House Restaurant’s breakfast menu has everything it takes for a morning to be a good one. This includes French toast, egg sandwiches, Danish pastries, toasted English muffins, pancakes, bacon, grits, hashbrowns and western omelettes loaded to the edges with ham, onions, green peppers, cheese and tomatoes. In addition to items on the menu, a selection of breakfast specials are promoted seven days a week and vary daily. A favorite one has two eggs, country fried steak and white gravy, grits or hashbrowns.

For its lunch and dinner guests, The Farm House Restaurant menu boasts such southern favorites as fried chicken livers, fried or grilled quail, all-you-can-eat channel catfish, barbecue pork, roast beef, stuffed flounder, deep fried gator tail and Ribeye steak, all served with french fries, baked potatoes, vegetables, rice pilaf, soup or salad and bread. The menu also features beef stew served on white rice, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, onion rings, turnip greens, fried corn on the cob, corn muffins, candied yams, a host of sandwiches, a salad bar, a soup bar, pecan pie and peach cobbler.

“We don’t take any shortcuts when preparing our meats and vegetables,” Bennett said. “We like for everything to be fresh, hot and fast, like Grandma used to make it and just like many people still do.”

As with breakfast, lunch and dinner specials are offered daily at The Farm House Restaurant. Some favorites include an open faced meatloaf sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken and rice, a pound of boiled shrimp with a baked potato and salad, barbecue ribs with baked beans and potato salad, fried mullet with cheese grits and cole slaw and clam chowder.

Bennett noted that every Sunday is Thanksgiving Day at The Farm House Restaurant with more than 1,200 people stopping by for baked turkey or ham and cornbread dressing with cranberry sauce. Just recently, he expanded his menu to include a long list of kid-friendly items.

“I absolutely like this job,” he said.