As a senior project manager for independent retirement communities across the United States, Chuck Leininger knows well that people — of retirement age or otherwise — need a place to gather for meals.

With his someday-retirement in mind, several years ago, Leininger and his wife Carol, residents of Lincoln, Neb., purchased a house and property near Table Rock Airport, near Golden. He’d first visited Table Rock Lake some 18 years ago with a trip to Branson and Emerald Beach.

“I was really impressed with the area, in part because there’s such a melting pot of people who have moved in from different places,” he said. “I felt right at home and wanted to add my Nebraska roots to the mix someday.”

Leininger said the only thing his future airport neighborhood didn’t have was a place to eat nearby.

He set about doing something about it. After purchasing a few acres alongside the airstrip, which included a circa 1962 hangar known as the Hangar at Point 25, and a couple of old cabins, Leininger kicked around some ideas for an eatery. The fact that he had no restaurant management experience in his background didn’t deter him.

After visiting the railcar diner of a friend in New York, the idea of operating something similar in the Ozarks appealed to him. Initially, he purchased an authentic dining car and had it transported to southwest Missouri from its location in Massachusetts.

“I realized right away it wasn’t going to work for guests in wheelchairs, though,” he said.

Leininger went back to the drawing board, figuratively, while his Golden neighbor, Jim Ambroson, did so literally. Ambroson created an artistic rendering of the diner design that Leininger had in mind. The drawing met with Leininger’s full approval and construction plans rolled forward.

Nearby neighbors pitched in, including John Di Campli who procured locally-sourced cedar for the deck and interior trim. Neighbor Darrell Cabossartt was instrumental in the construction and still plays a part by deep cleaning and detailing the stainless-steel kitchen every week.

Eighteen months after construction began, Depot Diner opened its doors for business the Friday before Memorial Day in 2022.

“We had a soft opening at first,” said Leininger’s daughter, Jordan Leininger, who has been instrumental in handson management of the restaurant. “We were only open for a couple of weekend days for the first two weeks; afterward, we began our regular six-day-a-week schedule.”

In spite of its rural location, and with virtually no advertising, the business has taken off – mostly by word of mouth, Leininger says.

Tucked neatly alongside privately- owned Table Rock Airport, one mile west of Golden, as the crow flies, Depot Diner offers more amenities than an authentic dining car, but its ambience is reminiscent of the original item. A shiny, stainless-steel wall flanks the length of an open kitchen fronted by a lunch counter with bar stools. Across the wide, wheelchair-accessible aisle, booth-seating affords diners a view of their food being prepared on one side and a view of the nearby airstrip and incoming planes on the other. A wide covered deck with plenty of seating runs the length of the diner and offers guests the option of eating al fresco when temperatures are moderate.

The menu consists of traditional American fare: chicken fried chicken and steak dinners, burgers, sandwiches, salads, fries, pizza, ice cream treats and pies – all freshly prepared and attractively served – and breakfast is available all day. As a nod to Leininger’s Nebraska roots, Depot Diner offers a pork tenderloin dinner and a pork loin sandwich, menu items not always found too far south of the Iowa line.

Both Chuck and Jordan Leininger are excited about the addition of new manager Alec Backy to the staff. Backy hales from Festus, about 30 miles south of St. Louis, where he learned to prepare French cuisine at his grandparents’ knees.

“My Grandpa wasn’t French; he was Czech,” Backy said. “But, when he moved to the States, he opened a French steakhouse in the 1960s called Petit Paree.

“My first passion was the baking side of things, a skill I learned from my grandmother.”

Backy said he comes from a completely scratch kitchen, right down to the basics of pizza dough, bread and biscuit-making.

From the French restaurant in Festus, Backy made his way to California, where he was presented with many unique cooking opportunities. The near shutdown of that state after the arrival of COVID in 2020 brought him back to Missouri.

Since he’s only been in his new position at Depot Diner for a week, it’s too early, yet, to say what Backy’s skills will mean for the restaurant.

“I want to really study the menu and just become part of the staff to learn how things are done for the first couple of months,” Backy said.

The Leiningers are sure that Backy’s skills will be an asset to the family-friendly diner, which does not serve alcohol and where no indoor smoking is allowed.

Family played a part in Chuck Leininger’s repurposing of the old Hangar at Point 25 on the property.

“Carol and I have five children and 13 grandchildren,” he said. “So, the hangar works well for holiday dinners when we’re all in one place at the same time.”

Leininger says the hangar is also available for rental for other community events.

In addition to repurposing the hangar, Leininger spiffed up the old cabins on the property for use as guest houses for neighborhood residents who have company drop in.

Although the Leiningers still officially reside in Nebraska, Chuck splits his time between there and his future retirement home in Golden, as does his daughter, Jordan.

“I’m able to work remotely, so it’s a workable arrangement,” Chuck Leininger said.

The addition of a diner in the community works well for the neighbors, too.

“It’s great for the community,” Jim Ambroson said.

Based on the number of patrons that Depot Diner has drawn during the 15 months its doors have been open, it appears to be living up to its motto to be a place “where friends meet and neighbors gather.” In so doing, Leininger’s original vision for the diner is being fulfilled.

Depot Diner can be found at 23032 Brushy Lane, Golden, Mo. The diner can be reached by telephone at 417-2711090. Their doors are open Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Because Table Rock Airport is privately owned by the Table Rock Airport Owners Association, Inc., airport manager David Williams recommends that pilots call him at 816-510-7039 before flying in.

“Chuck has done a remarkable thing – one really good for the neighborhood – and we want to support him,” Williams said. “But, we’re a small airport and we can only accommodate about eight airplanes at a time, so it’s best to check ahead before dropping in.”

Stats for Table Rock Airport can be found on AirNav.com at the FAA identifier MO32.