The Potted Steer Is Demolished: Lake Of The Ozarks Says Farewell To Historic Restaurant

A Lake of the Ozarks icon has given way to time and progress. The Potted Steer on Osage Beach Parkway (formerly Highway 54) has been torn down.

Many will remember the building as home for fine dining overseen by Joseph Boer, currently the owner of The Blue Heron. Boer bought the Grand Glaize Café building and opened it again as The Potted Steer in 1973. Sharon Smothers and Mike Atwell, two of The Potted Steer’s original employees, remember the restaurant earning awards for fine dining. They provided their recollections for the Lake’s 50th anniversary yearbook in 1981 as they began their 19th year working for and with Mr. Boer in his restaurants.

The Potted Steer was the second incarnation for a restaurant with that name. The first was also Mr. Boer’s, located in Jefferson City. The Potted Steers were known for Mr. Boer’s signature fried lobster, steaks, and seafood: a tradition The Blue Heron continues. The Potted Steer also had an extensive selection of wines. One bottle on hand in 1981, when Bagnell Dam and the lake it created turned 50, was almost as old. That bottle dated from 1935 and was available to purchase.

Then and now, Mr. Boer’s restaurants featured space for art. The Potted Steer’s artist-in-residence was Joseph Orr. Art on display in The Blue Heron is by Hollis Richardson. Both restaurant buildings were painted blue as if they were pieces of the sky. Inside, décor choices drew from Mr. Boer’s Dutch heritage.

One TripAdvisor reviewer remembers The Lake’s Potted Steer for extraordinary customer service like that depicted on the old television series, Cheers. In other words, the staff was friendly with each other and knew the names of their customers. They made everyone feel at home.

The Potted Steer closed after the Highway 54 bypass required a significant portion of the land owned by Mr. Boer. He lost water-sewer access, adequate parking space, and a view of the Lake from the restaurant. Testimony by David Nunn in 2016, then with the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission (MHTC), confirmed the loss of parking was insurmountable. Mr. Nunn said that given “the loss of parking in relation to the size of the restaurant, ‘it would be difficult to utilize the building in any really functional manner, and … the building had no value and would need to be razed or torn down.’”

Those who remember The Potted Steer will surely miss its presence, but another prime location for entrepreneurs is ready for the right business one day soon, and Mr. Boer’s foods are still available at The Blue Heron.