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Just like Goody Goody Diner, the North City restaurant that's been in his family for 60 years, owner Richard Connelly is somewhat of an anomaly himself: after all, how many 72-year-old men can say “that diner is the only job I ever had”?
And after the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse, his comment may become past tense.
The offerees are Ryan and Joe Safi, brothers and SLU graduates who own and operate several convenience stores in the area. Connelly says that he was not actively looking to sell the restaurant--and that business had never been better--but the duo approached him back in January 2013. “The more we talked, the better it sounded—it was a good fit,” Connolly said. “They say you should go out on top and leave at the top of your game. I could do that--it was time for me to do that."
Although efforts to reach Ryan and Joe Safi today were unsuccessful, Connelly said the brothers would like "to grow the name throughout the region." The transfer of ownership is scheduled for April 30. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Connelly apprised the employees of the transfer of ownership in a meeting today, where he emphasized that the new owners do not plan to change anything, that there’s little reason to.
Goody’s is a special place with a diverse clientele (among them Cedric the Entertainer and Al Gore), high-quality food, and dedicated employees there for the long haul. One often hears of restaurants described as “family”-- a walk through the door at 5900 Natural Bridge (near Goodfellow) and you feel that closeness. Strike up a conversation with Connelly and before long he’ll be telling stories about his employees--the family—proudly and poignantly.
In a Q&A with St. Louis Magazine in 2010, while discussing ““Progressive Futures,” a rehab program he’s supported over the years, Connelly did just that: "One of my guys, who’d just been through drug rehab," he said, "was so proud and so thankful he couldn’t wait to show me his graduation certificate. Another guy, who had been in jail since he was 15, was so ecstatic with his first paycheck that he had to show that to me…it was the first check he’d ever received. He was 29.”
Like most diners, Goody’s offers predominantly the basics but also a few house specialties, like the Polish Hot Link Breakfast; “The Wilbur” (below), an omelet filled with hash browns, green pepper, onion, tomato, then topped with chili and cheddar; and chicken & waffles. While the pairing of the now trendy sweet and savory dish dates to another time and place, the combo allegedly made its first local appearance at Goody Goody five years ago, long before it became popular in our city’s hipper restaurants, like Juniper in the CWE.
Back in 2010, when SLM asked Connelly if he could ever see the family diner in anyone else’s hands, he replied, “the more national recognition we get, the more I think something will happen. Someone will come along and make the decision easier.”
They did and they did.
We salute you, Richard Connelly, for your years of daily dedication, an incalculable number of over-easy eggs, and a cumulative stack of pancakes that would likely stretch to the stratosphere.
