Main Street Diner sits on the corner of Main and High Streets in downtown Boonville where two speakers play country music radio all day. Waitresses move rapidly around each other, grabbing heaping plates of food, trays of fountain drinks and cups of coffee. The diner opened its doors five years ago, and now hosts a Bible study, coffee breaks and hungry workers on lunch break. Many consider the “Please Wait to be Seated” sign by the door as a suggestion they choose to ignore. “I’ve got two words that keep me coming back: biscuits and gravy,” joked Jim Farris from his corner booth.

Farris and other regulars come back for more than the biscuits, though. They come to catch up with old friends, watch the cars pass by on Main Street, and hear waitresses call them “Hon” or “Ornery” depending on their personality and familiarity.