September 20, 2024
She actually said the words “I could never do that to this town.” What a legend. What a rockstar.
When Suzan Barnes opened up Grand Central Hotel and Grill in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas 29-years ago, I wonder how long she thought she’d run the hotel and restaurant. Before that, she had been a travel agent in Wichita,Kansas but returned to her hometown to own and run the place. A local lawyer, Charles (Charlie) Rayl had bought the property right before at a tax sale and I suspect he and Suzan discussed her coming to town to bring the legendary hotel back to its splendor.
Regardless, when I asked Suzan if she would just close the restaurant after she told me she had been trying to sell it for 7-years, her response was “I could never do that to this town.”
Damn.
When I stopped at the hotel/restaurant that has been around since Grover Cleveland was President (1884), I ordered a burger, which meat is sourced from Arkansas City, Kansas and the famous beef stew. The stew is hard to describe, but very good. It was a rich and savory thick broth. And the burger was definitely fresh and sourced in Kansas. No doubt. Both were excellent.
If you haven’t been to Grand Central Hotel and Grill, I suggest you do. Cottonwood Falls is a beautiful part of the state. The amazing courthouse is there. And so is a rockstar. Her name is Suzan Barnes. If you go, tell her I say hello. Or don’t. I won’t know any different.
— TKG
