Geraldi’s acts on requests for lake location

By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

Restaurant owners Charlie and Brooke Brown listen to their diners.

After too many to count requested their Italian eatery in Cassville, Geraldi’s, open a Shell Knob location, the Browns delivered.

Open since April 6 at 23837 Hwy. 39 in Shell Knob, about two miles north of the bridge, Charlie Brown said the story of the location is as straightforward as it gets.

“We’ve owned Geraldi’s in Cassville for two years on April 1, and the community kept coming in and saying they wanted it in Shell Knob,” he said. “His House Foundation gave us a chance to rent their building, so we’ve been renting it since January and working on it since then. This all happened because they offered the building and the opportunity presented itself — location, location, location.”

“The Italian Eating Place” offers the same menu as in Cassville, featuring traditional pasta, pizza, sandwiches and salads, and a few appetizers. While the food is unchanged, the Shell Knob location will soon offer another feature — a bar.

“The menu is the same, but Shell Knob will have a full bar; we are in that application process,” Brown said. “Our pizzas and chicken Alfredo are our two biggest food favorites, and we try to do specials often.”

Living in Shell Knob for the last five years, Brown said restaurant ownership is still a new venture.

“It just happened,” he said. “I had a concrete business for 21 years, but that has nothing to do with restaurant experience.”

Brown said the return on his investment has been the people.

“Seeing all the people come in on a regular basis and getting to know them is the best part,” he said. 

Supporting and being immersed in the community is high on Brown’s list of goals, which is reflected in the workmanship throughout the renovated building.

“The renovation was a huge task,” he said. “This place doesn’t look anything the same. My wife designed the interior, and we had Mike Price do the counter, CD Masonry do the stone, Shawn Rowe do the woodwork, and Shawn Prier helped move almost every piece of equipment we have in here. Jake Lewallen at ReMax was also a huge help. 

“These are all local people, so when I have someone come in and ask about the counters, I can give them a name and number. That community building is important to us.”

Brown said business at the lake has been booming in the past month.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “Shell Knob has been beating Cassville since we’ve been open. We are still new, and we have the TVs that are not in Cassville, and we’re getting the bar because we’ve never had one.”

Brown said the support he and his wife have received has been encouraging, and he recognizes it.

“I want to give a shout-out to anyone who helped get us in here,” he said. “We really thank the community for their support.”

Geraldi’s is open on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed on Tuesdays, then open Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information or to see a menu, people may visit www.facebook.com/geraldissk.