Loyal Customers Create Recipe for Success

Pete Luetkenhaus, owner of Pete's Drive-In in Wentzville, Missouri, knows the secret ingredient for a long-lasting business: It is loyal customers.

This week, Luetkenhaus was featured in the St. Louis Dispatch for celebrating his 40th year in business. His restaurant, which started out as a root-beer stand and is now known for its country-style breakfasts and fried chicken, has become a landmark off of Highway 61 in Wentzville. Thanks to the patronage of repeat customers, it has managed to stay afloat, despite all the fast-food restaurants down the road.

"It's a gathering place," says Luetkenhaus, who still works six days a week and makes time to chat with locals who frequent the Drive-In.

Want to learn more about building a loyal customer base? Discover what another small-business owner, Scott Kremp of Kremp's Florist in the Philadelphia area, is doing to find and keep customers in our "Simply the Best" feature in the August/September Manual.