Purdum Family Reopening the Chef-o-nette

Operating Chef-O!

Our family decided to take over the operations of the Chef-o-nette business from Harlan Howard in early 2024 - What a process this has been!
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The Chef-o-nette opened in 1955 under the ownership of Chuck Zollinger, Jim Reed & Bill McKinley. In 1972 Maborn Howard and his son Harlan assumed the role of proprietor. With few ownership changes over the last 70 years, we have become the third family to operate the restaurant.

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Retaining the roots with modern updates

It was our goal from the start to preserve the vintage look as it has been fondly remembered. That goal came with the understanding that after 70 years of remaining a untouched gem, an enormous amount of infrastructure renovation would have to be done.
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We appreciate the community for their patience as we’ve worked through the details. Many of these upgrades are behind the scenes. Examples include a brand-new kitchen, including a redesigned hood ventilation system, a new HVAC system and remodeled bathrooms that are now handicap accessible. Unfortunately, the roller hand towels in the restrooms had to go! If you peak around back, you will see the exterior walk-in cooler we built (accessible from inside the kitchen) giving more kitchen space.
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The only major change to the restaurant was the addition of an extra door which will give us better access to the patio out front. Our goal was to finally have some nice outdoor dining under the skylights out front.
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Finally, we are in the last phase of our updates. We are cleaning up and refreshing the front area where customers will enjoy their old favorites. We sent the booths and counter seats for repair at Fortner, a family owned Columbus upholstery company, and newly repaired and welded counter stools from Fortin Ironworks in Grandview. The counter seats have lost their lean.
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Custom wallpaper and fresh paint are right around the corner.
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We’ll see you soon!

—The Purdums