Lambert's Cafe, also known as Home of the Throwed Rolls is a restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

 known for its homestyle cooking, "pass arounds", and its "throwed" [sic] dinner rolls. It is distinguished from other restaurants by its policy of providing large 32 oz.

Ounce

The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...

 drinks, a list of side items that are passed around to all customers, free refills on nearly all entrée

Entrée

An entrée is a dish served before the main course, or between two principal courses of a meal.The disappearance in the early 20th century of a large communal main course such as a roast as a standard part of the meal in the English-speaking world has led to the term being used to describe the main...

s, and, most famously, for throwing their homemade dinner rolls to the customers. Many restaurants have mimicked the "throwed roll" concept, but Lambert's Cafe holds that they are the first restaurant to practice it. The restaurant has three locations: the original in Sikeston, Missouri

Sikeston, Missouri

Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is geographically situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the...

, and two others in Ozark, Missouri

Ozark, Missouri

Ozark, incorporated in 1890, is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. As of 2009 the population has grown 18,458. It is the county seat of Christian County. Ozark is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 and Foley, Alabama

Foley, Alabama

Foley is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.The 2000 census lists the population of the city as 7,590.Foley is a principal city of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Baldwin County....

.

History

Lambert's Cafe was opened on March 13, 1942 by Earl and Agnes Lambert in a small building on South Main Street in Sikeston Missouri. It consisted of a nine-stool counter and eight tables for a total seating capacity of 41 people.

Earl Lambert died in 1976, and his son Norman and wife Patti entered into the restaurant business as partners to Agnes Lambert. On April 20, 1981, Lambert's moved to 2109 East Malone and reopened for business. In 1988, the restaurant moved again to a site conveniently located for travelers along Interstate 55

Interstate 55

Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...

 in Sikeston.

The first roll was thrown in 1976 by Norman Lambert. At the original location, he would walk around and hand out the rolls. One day it was really busy when Norman couldn't get through the crowd....one of the customers yelled to him " Throw the dang thing!". And with that the "Home of Throwed Rolls" was born.

On March 1, 1994 a second Lambert's Cafe was opened near Springfield, Missouri on U.S. Highway 65, Junction CC & J, Ozark, Missouri and on June 24, 1996 the third restaurant was opened in Foley, Alabama.

The Travel Channel

Travel Channel

The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...

 named Lambert's Cafe as the "World's Best Place to Pig Out", edging out Beth's Cafe

Beth's cafe

Beth's Cafe is a restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Located in the Green Lake area of Seattle, on Washington State Route 99 , the restaurant is known largely for its "greasy spoon" cuisine and serving large portions.....

, The Big Texan Steak Ranch

The Big Texan Steak Ranch

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is a steakhouse restaurant and motel located in Amarillo, Texas, United States which opened on the previous U.S. Route 66 in the 4500 block of East Amarillo Boulevard in 1960 and moved to its present location on Interstate 40 in 1970. Fire gutted the west wing of the...

, Primanti Brothers, Cluck-U Chicken

Cluck-U Chicken

Cluck-U Chicken is a fast food restaurant which specializes in serving chicken. Most of their locations are in the states of Maryland and New Jersey, but there are locations in Pennsylvania as well as one location in Ohio and one international location in Lebanon...

, and other notable restaurants.

Pass-arounds

Pass-arounds are carried around the restaurant in buckets and given to any customer who wants them. The traditional Lambert's pass-arounds include:

• Fried potato
  Potato
  The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
  
  es and onion
  Onion
  The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
  
  s
• Macaroni
  Macaroni
  Macaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
  
   and tomato
  Tomato
  The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
  
  es
• Black-eyed pea
  Black-eyed pea
  The black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean and chawalie or lobia in various languages in India and Pakistan, is a subspecies of the cowpea, grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. The bean mutates easily, giving rise to a number of varieties. The common commercial one is...
  
  s
• Fried okra
  Okra
  Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
  
  
• Sorghum molasses
  Molasses
  Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
  
  
• Apple butter
  Apple butter
  Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce, produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve...
  
  

Locations

• Sikeston, Missouri
  Sikeston, Missouri
  Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is geographically situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the...
  
  —site of original Lambert's: 2305 E. Malone, Sikeston, MO 63801 (36.8879°N 89.5464°W)
• Ozark, Missouri
  Ozark, Missouri
  Ozark, incorporated in 1890, is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. As of 2009 the population has grown 18,458. It is the county seat of Christian County. Ozark is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
  
  —just south of Springfield: 1800 W. State Hwy J, Ozark, MO 65721 (37.0694°N 93.2248°W)
• Foley, Alabama
  Foley, Alabama
  Foley is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.The 2000 census lists the population of the city as 7,590.Foley is a principal city of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Baldwin County....
  
  —just north of Gulf Shores: 2981 S. McKenzie, Foley, AL 36535 (30.3707°N 87.6823°W)