Winter 1999 Newsletter page 4

Reprisal of a Famous Favorite in Santa Rosa by Sue Bohannan Mann Miss the Fat Man's smiling face from billboards around Santa Rosa? No need to worry. The Fat Man is back, jolly as ever. He's moved only one-half block from his original location at the former Club Café. Next time you're through this town of many lakes and attractions, stop in at Joe's Bar & Grill, formerly Joseph's Restaurant, 865 Will Rogers Parkway, and pick up a match book or buy a T-shirt with the new logo. You can soon park your car under the neon reading "Joe's Bar & Grill". But be patient. Good things take time. Joseph and Christina Campos, owners of Joseph's, bought the Club Café in 1995. They planned to reopen it, complete with cream gravy and biscuits, a menu staple since 1935. They planned to continue operating their own restaurant, originally founded by Joseph's father, José A. Campos, Sr. in 1956, as the Fiesta Drive In. Colorful History As neighbors, the Campos were aware of the Club Café's colorful history. Former owner Ron Chavez had worked for owners Floyd Shaw and Phil Craig as a young man. He started as a dishwasher, and Craig taught Ron how to make sour dough biscuits after Ron became a cook. Craig also hired billboard artist Jim Hall to design and paint the now famous Fat Man billboard signs. In his book, Route 66: The Mother Road, Mike Wallis quotes Ron: "The Club Café was a jumping son of a gun. It was always busy. After working as a bus boy, I became a dishwasher, which paid a little better, and little by little I started cooking." Garcia later took over as owner, but because of declining business, he was forced to close the famous landmark in the early nineties. Unexpected Surprises When Christina and Joseph bought the restaurant from the bank in 1995, they encountered a few surprises. After replacing the full roof at a cost of $14,000, something they had intended to do before opening, Joseph went to unlock the front one day and found a red tag on it. He learned that the building had been condemned because it didn't pass inspection. "You're better off this way," the city administrator told Joseph. Because of unsafe wiring and numerous other problems in the 60 year old building, plans to reopen had to be abandoned. The Campos did, however, obtain a copyright on the famous fat man logo from the U.S. Patent Office. Meanwhile, Joseph's continued to grow as more motorists got off the Interstate looking for Route 66. Local residents also like what they see when visiting the family restaurant that is now Joseph's Bar and Grill. A gift shop and a meeting room that doubles as a nightclub in the evenings were added in 1989. The bar opens at 4 p.m. and a D.J. plays dance music most nights. On weekends, various bands from around the state play Spanish, western, or contemporary dance music. The Campos family continues to work hard in their thriving business, and their three children- Analisa, 12, Andrea, 10, and Joseph III, 8-also help. "We want them to learn the work ethic," says Christina. "We pay them a VERY small salary." Joseph recently began a four-year term as mayor of Santa Rosa and backs a movement to change the three different names of main street (Parker Avenue, Will Rogers Drive, and Coronado Street) back to Route 66. Family History After Joseph graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1984, he leased the restuarant from his father for one year and then bought it. Christina and Joseph met while both were majoring in economics at UNM. They married after Christina finished her schooling in 1985. After the children were born, Christina worked as a finance officer for the local hospital. However, she did not relish the traveling that required her to be away from home, so she resigned in 1996 to manage the restaurant. She feels good about the decision because it freed time for Joseph to serve as Mayor. "We're hardly ever at home," says Christina. "We have baseball games, picnics, and sometimes go boating over the weekends." Christina is adamant that the family take a breather from work on weekends and spend time together. They have built a strong organization with dependable help, and someone works at the restaurant around the clock. At 1:00 a.m., a cook comes in to prepare doughnuts that are distributed in early morning to motels throughout the town. Patrons also receive a card for a free cup of coffee at Joe's Bar and Grill. "We hire people we believe have the potential to become good employees and we train them," says Christina. "Some of our best employees started that way." She sees the future opening of a prison in the town as a potential problem in finding good help, but she also feels that it's worth it because Santa Rosa will will benefit economically. A Bright Future As mayor, Joseph hopes to move Santa Rosa ahead economically and make the public more aware of the natural beauty and impressive history in the surrounding area. People camp and fish year round at the Santa Rosa Lake and Dam State Park, just seven miles north of town. The famous Blue Hole, fed by an artesian well, draws people from Colorado and beyond to practice scuba diving. Joseph, the sixth of seven children by José and Carmen Campos, sees a bright future for Santa Rosa as well as Joe's Bar and Grill. Christina, who grew up in Albuquerque, enjoys the amenities of living in a small town. "We want our children to appreciate what they have here, and to realize that we are only a small part of a great community," she says. "I'm happy that Joseph now feels he has time to serve as mayor, but I want our children to realize that we are like everyone else." She also thinks it important for them to know the pleasures and values that come from working with people. Maybe that's why the Fat Man is still smiling.

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