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New owners hope to bring crowds back to restaurant


NOW OPEN — The former Hometown restaurant in Decatur is under new ownership. Kevin and Missy Lambert purchased the restaurant in November. SUBMITTED

NOW OPEN — The former Hometown restaurant in Decatur is under new ownership. Kevin and Missy Lambert purchased the restaurant in November. SUBMITTED

Among the first acts that Missy and Kevin Lambert made after purchasing the former Hometown restaurant in Decatur was opening up the building to people in need of a warm meal and company on Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving Day, the Lamberts opened up their business, now known as Chisholm Trail Hometown Restaurant, letting people sit down and eat and pick up free turkey dinners at their newly-purchased restaurant.

“It was about making sure people got a good Thanksgiving meal. We offered our place to distribute and cook, and if somebody wanted to come in and eat, they were more than welcome,” Missy Lambert said.

The effort was part of Wise Choice Custom Meat’s Thanksgiving dinner donations that distributed more than 1,000 meals to the Wise County community this year in honor of owner Patricia Crawford’s daughter, Keona Crawford. While at the meat market, Missy said she asked if she could help.

In the future, the new owners expect to continue to participate in the effort.

The move was part of the new owner’s family first focus for the restaurant at 1803 U.S. 81/287 that specializes in meals that remind people of home.

“We hope to bring great family dining,” Missy said.

When you walk into the restaurant, there’s a good chance you’ll be greeted by the inspiration behind owner Kevin Lambert’s culinary skills.

Kevin has opened restaurants in the past, and also had a catering business, cooking barbecue. He said it all started with his mother, Mary Lambert. The family cooking at Chisholm Trail Hometown Restaurant is based on a family business.

“I used to cook beside her growing up,” Kevin said. “She’s where I got it, I guess. She still cooks and bakes and she’s a lot of people’s first impressions of the restaurant, and she’s happy to see everybody.”

Kevin and Missy purchased the restaurant in early November. The two have a deep history in the food service industry, with Missy actually calling one restaurant in Junction City home from an early age.

“I literally lived in the restaurant,” Missy said. My parents’ house was connected to it. I grew up in it and learned from my mom and stepdad. I didn’t go out and mow the grass. I went out and washed dishes and waited on customers.”

The two are looking to take that background to the business and bring crowds back to the restaurant.

“We’re hoping to be family oriented, do home cooking and offer something different to Decatur than what we have now,” Missy said.

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