West Newsmagazine 5-1-24

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Wente’s Roadhouse coming soon to Defiance
May 1, 2024
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I NEWS I 13
By JOHN TREMMEL
The Defiance Roadhouse, known
affectionately by locals for years as “the
squirrel bar,” has been closed for about
six months, but now has a new lease on
life and is targeted to reopen as Wente’s
Roadhouse sometime between May 19
and June 1. The actual opening date
depends on how much time is needed to
complete repairs and obtain the required
permits. The Hoffmann Companies property
in Defiance is now being leased-toown
by Marla Conn.
Conn said the Defiance Roadhouse
building “is from 1930, and, nobody’s
fault, during this past winter when the restaurant
was closed, water pipes burst and
damaged every sink, every toilet, the walls
and the floors. There were leaks and holes
everywhere.”
Conn said she has been working with
Don Simon, chief operating officer for
Hoffmann Companies’ Missouri operations,
to get the repairs completed. While
the Hoffmann Companies have received
criticism regarding the economic development
of Defiance and Augusta, Conn
spoke highly of her interactions with the
company.
“They have been very cooperative and are
working to fix the holes and other damage
from the burst pipes,” Conn said. “Don has
been great. I want to be clear: they are not
bad people. I believe the Hoffmanns had
good intentions but were just not equipped
to run a restaurant such as the Roadhouse.
Let’s just move on and move forward.”
She signed the Roadhouse lease in early
April.
Conn has been at the Defiance Roadhouse
while repairs are being done and
has been working inside to set up the
business. While she has been on-site,
people have been stopping by to see
what is going on.
One of her visitors was the husband of
the woman whose grandfather created
the squirrels that have been part of the
unusual decorations within the Roadhouse
for years. Conn sent the husband
home with one of the squirrels as a gift,
bringing the memories along with it.
Conn still has some of the stuffed squirrels
and will continue to showcase them
in the bar.
Wente’s Roadhouse menu will include
wings, pizza, specialty sandwiches, burgers,
ribs, appetizers, salads and soft drinks.
Billed as a “food shack and saloon,” it will
have beer and adult beverages. Conn said
it will be opening for breakfast as well.
Conn also is the owner of the original
Wente’s restaurant and bar at 18000 Chesterfield
Airport Road in Chesterfield Valley.
That landmark Wente’s is known as a “nofrills
American restaurant serving burgers,
sandwiches, wings and beer amid sports
memorabilia.” The location is popular and
frequently busy.
She bought the business from Terry
Wente in 2020, during the COVID-19
pandemic. She added a temporary tent to
accommodate outside and social-distanced
seating during the pandemic, then installed
a permanent, canvas-walled and canvasroofed
structure for an outdoor patio
Conn holds a Master of Science degree
in elementary education and reading. She
taught for 15 years in New York, has written
dozens of children’s books, is a reading-literacy
specialist and is an educational
consultant. She continues to write and consult
from her home in Wildwood, she said.
Conn and her family moved to the area
15 years ago after selling their book distribution
company to a St. Louis-based
company. While Conn’s husband does
not have ownership in the bar, he is her
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best customer and very supportive, she
said. He is building a warehouse for The
Classroom Library Company in Chesterfield
on Edison Road, close enough to
golf cart over to Wente’s for lunch every
day.
“The original Wente’s will remain open,
and we are excited to have a second location
in a nearby community,” Conn said.
“Both Wente’s and Wente’s Roadhouse are
stand-alone businesses that cater to the
community and bring people together.”
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