Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 36
Left: Kids have no trouble finding dishes to enjoy at Fred & Red's. Beyond spaghetti, they can dig into hot dogs, chili dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Top right: Owner David Schaefer says his usual order is a cheeseburger and fries with a cup of chili with beans (you can add beans to
the normally beanless chili). Every third or fourth visit, he'll order the Spaghetti Red. Bottom right: A tamale spread includes three hand-rolled
tamales covered in the famous Fred & Red's chili. Customers typically top the chili with shredded cheddar cheese.
" This is something you can always count on being exactly
the same, and that's what I wanted when I bought it. "
Steady business returned for the new chapter of Fred &
Red's. They were happy to see familiar faces like Chris.
" I worked for Larry for 17 years, until he retired, " she
says. " I've been working for David for seven. He was one
of my regular customers, and now he is my boss - or at
least he thinks he is. "
When customers arrive at Fred & Red's, they routinely
ask Chris: What should I have? " I tell them our top two
sellers are Spaghetti Red and tamales, " she says. " I tell
them everything's good, so you can't go wrong. "
Spaghetti Red is a pile of spaghetti noodles topped with
chili. " It's called chili mac in some places and chili spaghetti
in others, " David says. " This is the only place it's
called Spaghetti Red, and I'm a firm believer it's called that
here because it originated at Fred & Red's. "
Each week David makes 600 to 1,000 pounds of chili
at the restaurant. After buying Fred & Red's, he received
a typed copy from 1973 of the original recipe. " Even with
36 RURAL MISSOURI | DECEMBER 2023
the recipe, it took a year to get it right, " he says. " I'm pretty
proud of it now, as it tastes just like what I ate as a kid. I
have made the chili healthier; it's not as greasy as it used
to be. But it's still not a low-fat food. "
Customers can " doctor up " their chili or other entrees
with a variety of toppings, says Chris: " I've seen them add
beans, mustard, ketchup, Parmesan cheese or hot sauce. "
For Joplin resident Linda Unser, Fred & Red's is all
about nostalgia. " This is one of my favorite restaurants to
come to, " she says. " We used to come here when we were
kids. Everything is pretty much the same. "
Knowing Fred & Red's is a family tradition makes Chris
happy to come to work each day. " I've watched kids grow
up in here and now they have their own children who they
bring in, " she says. " You just feel like you're at home here.
We have the best customers of anyone in the world. "
David echoes that sentiment: " I never imagined when I
bought the place how much I would enjoy watching people
enjoy the food here. " That's a testament good food never
goes out of style.
Rural Missouri - December 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - December 2023
Contents
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - Contents
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 4
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 5
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 6
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 7
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 8
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 9
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 10
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 11
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 12
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 13
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 14
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 15
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 16
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 17
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 18
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 19
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 20
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 21
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Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 25
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 26
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 27
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 28
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 29
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 30
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 31
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 32
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 33
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 34
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 35
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 36
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 37
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 38
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 39
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 40
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 41
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 42
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 43
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 44
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 45
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 46
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 47
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 48
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 49
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - 50
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - December 2023 - Cover4
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