A search of hotel billboards while driving along the interstate highways of the American Midwest turns up familiar brands, but I saw one I hadn’t yet experienced when it was time to stop one night last fall: Baymont Inn & Suites Springfield South Hwy 65, 3343 East Battlefield Street, Springfield, Missouri.
The initial lure wasn’t so much the brand (it’s one of 20 that comprise Wyndham Hotels & Resorts) but its location. I’d seen the billboards for years for Lambert’s Café — home of the “throwed rolls”. An intriguing premise to be sure (were the dinner rolls really thrown?). But, it was nearly dinner time and, heck, I could try both Baymont and Lambert’s here.
Baymont Inn & Suites has more than 540 properties in the U.S., so I knew I wasn’t checking into a unique property — in fact, there are two in Springfield — but the hotel hit all the markers of a great roadside choice (it’s categorized as a “mid-scale” brand on Wyndham’s website).
I welcomed the cookie offered at check-in (interstate driving is definitely hunger-producing probably because — most of the time — it’s so boring). Of course there was free WiFi (a requirement these days to be sure), and a hot breakfast each morning. I also was pleased to discover a coffee maker, microwave and mini refrigerator in my room. That’s because I suspected I’d come back to my room with leftovers from Lambert’s (and I was right).
There was an indoor pool in a space with huge windows on three sides, a whirlpool, a fitness center, and a business center at the ready, but my mind was picturing “throwed rolls”. I dumped my luggage and my laptop in my second-floor room, and got back into the car. It was a quick drive south to Lambert’s Café in Ozark, Missouri (one of two locations in the Show-Me State). Evidently Sunday evening is a “slow” night for this enormous eatery, because there was no line at the door (Lambert’s locations don’t take reservations). Once upon a time, they only accepted cash but when I was there this fall, they’d started accepting credit cards.
Yes, I did notice the rolls being thrown (it’s hard not to). Lambert’s staff does toss ’em (one at a time) to customers, often from across the room. Yes, sometimes the rolls end up on the floor. They’ll just keep throwing ’em ’til you catch one. The menu skews “southern”, so of course I had the fried chicken. And of course there was so much I took a piece back to my room to stash in that handy fridge ’til the midnight munchies hit.
Housekeeping note: if you’re snacking on leftover fried chicken while working on your laptop back in your hotel room, be certain to have a damp washcloth handy so you don’t end up with grease all over the keyboard. Just saying…
The bed was comfy, the room was quiet and I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. The next morning, I was ready for breakfast. Oatmeal hit the spot. I filled up my travel mug with coffee and hit the road again.
You can make a reservation on the hotel’s website, or via one of the usual hotel booking sites such as Booking.com. (And, yes, that’s my dinner, below, complete with peaches, mashed potatoes and gravy).
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(Photos by Susan McKee)