The sun is over the horizon, the hawks are staking out spots on the telephone wires and the flags are flying at Frank’s Fish Shack, on Highway 7 near Tightwad.
It’s the first full weekend in July, and Terry and Angie Carey are debuting the latest addition to the Shack’s offerings— Breakfast Al Fresco. Their weekend Cajun-style seafood business opened at the end of March, and has been such a hit, they decided to add breakfast to the eat-on-site or take-out options.
It also fills a niche, as the steady stream of cars driving down to the Fish Shacks for the opening testify.
“There’s nothing for breakfast around her unless you go to Warsaw or Bucksaw,” Angie said.
Breakfast is served from the smaller trailer, the Frank Jr. Fish Shack, which the Careys created for Olde Glory Days. They also hired a new employee, Brenda Taylor, to work the breakfast shift. On the menu are New Orleans-style beignets, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast sandwiches — sausage and cheese, or sausage, cheese and egg, on fresh-baked biscuits.
Fresh is by-word at Frank’s.
“We get up very early, at 4 a.m.,” Angie said. “The biscuits are in the oven by 5.”
The biscuits are big, and the breakfast sandwiches have been getting rave reviews. The beignets are cooked when you order them, and people tell Angie the beignets are lighter and better than the ones you get in New Orleans.
“And we’re a lot closer,” Angie said.
Frank’s Fish Shacks, senior and junior, are located next to the Carey’s house, 932 SE Hwy. 7, the second driveway after SE 901 Rd. on Highway 7 west of Tightwad. If the flags are out, the Fish Shacks are open. Hours for breakfast are 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lunch and dinner are noon to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, or until the fish sells out. The Careys get shipments of fresh catfish from the South every week, and cook it in cornmeal when you order. They have increased their catfish order, they said, so as not to run out.
The Careys started the business because they like to cook, and wanted to transition into retirement. Terry is a bricklayer. Angie designed the Fish Shack logo and does the marketing, and also works from home for Children’s Mercy Hospital. The business name honors Terry’s father, Frank Carey, who lived in Liberty, but was an ardent Truman Lake fisherman.
The Careys created the Frank Jr. Fish Shack to Olde Glory Days this year, and the venture was a success, Angie said.
“It was a lot of work, but it provided great exposure for the business,” Angie said.
Last spring, the Careys hosted a field trip for Heather Wilde’s students from Cornerstone Academy, whose end-of-the-year project was to create their own food-truck business and decide what type of food they would serve. The Careys fed the students catfish and fries, Angie said, which the students seemed to enjoy more than the tour.
At the Hwy. 7 location, you can eat at patio tables and chairs with umbrellas, or around covered picnic tables. There’s new gravel on the driveway and parking areas, with plenty of room for RVs or to turn around boat trailers.
There’s a cool breeze in the morning, Angie said, and usually you can spot an eagle in the pond on their property. Cash or credit cards are accepted; no checks. Go to Frank’s Fish Shack on Facebook for more information.
