American Legion 341 restaurant open to all
The newest lunch spot in Bella Vista is open to everyone, even if many people don’t realize that.
American Legion Post 341 is once again serving lunch and you don’t have to be a member to enjoy it, volunteer bartender Julie Knowlen said.
The menu is flexible, chef Velta Penny said. In fact, she will try to accommodate special requests for items not on the menu if she can. Besides the lunch favorites — staples like cheeseburgers, salads, soups and fries — there’s always a lunch special. Every day features a different type of soup.
The plan was for the lunch specials to be the same on each weekday, so customers would know when their favorite was on the menu — but that may not happen, Penny said. Instead, she finds ways to incorporate food she has on hand into a Blue Plate Special. As they become busier, that might change.
Penny has worked in food service for 35 years, starting in fast food and moving through bars and grills and finally cooking for a retirement community in Rogers.
She has been in Bella Vista since 2004.
She was helping cook at the Legion for dinners when she told Post Commander Jean Meacham that she wanted to open her own catering business.
Meacham decided to take a chance and hired Penny to cook at lunchtime on Tuesday through Friday.
“We’ll be open as long people come and eat,” she said.
The Legion was opened for lunch before, when the building was still new, but it wasn’t profitable
This time Meacham is hoping that Penny’s cooking talent will make a difference.