Terri and Al Walker have handed over ownership of the Pogolino’s restaurant in De Soto to their daughter, Mindy Davis.
Davis said she has worked at the restaurant for 10 years and had been managing it for the past year.
Terri Walker said the restaurant, at 503 N. Second St., has been in the family for decades.
“We bought it from Dad in 1983,” she said. “We did get out of it for a short time, then got back into it.”
Walker said her parents, Don and Shirley Pogue, opened the first Pogolino’s restaurant in 1970 in Festus.
“Within a year, they opened the second one in De Soto,” she said.
Her aunt and uncle, Jean and Bill Scott, own the Pogolino’s in Festus now.
Walker, 60, said she and her husband, 63, felt it was time to pass the business to the next generation, Mindy, 38, and her husband, Jon Davis, 41, who have owned the restaurant since April 1.
“We’ll just be available to them to answer questions if they need any advice about anything,” Walker said.
One of the Walkers’ other daughters, Devin Lawrence, is the restaurant manager now.
The Walkers have another daughter, Rachel Schutte, who’s an office manager for the Lowry Law Firm in Hillsboro.
Davis said she did not always intend to follow in her parents’ footsteps, but life guided her back to the family business.
“My parents when I was growing up told me this is hard work; get a degree. I got a degree in accounting, but still came back. My kids could do the same. Who knows? It’s in my blood.”
Mindy and Jon Davis have two children, Aubrey, 13, and Reid, 8.
Davis said she plans to offer the same menu items, which have kept customers coming back to Pogolino’s for decades.
“We don’t mess with recipes or menu items,” Davis said. “We are such perfectionists. I try for perfection every time. Pizza, wings and salads are our top items.”
Despite turning over the restaurant, Walker said she hasn’t retired.
“I still have a full-time job; I run Dollar Spree in De Soto,” she said.