Our History

Sixty Years of Tradition

The Beginning Founded by the Kreis family in the 1940s, the establishment first began as a small roadhouse restaurant in the countryside. Mrs. Kreis’ home cooking soon became the favorite among those traveling alongside Highway 67. The Kreis family (pronounced Krice) operated the restaurant until their retirement in the 1960s. They offered to lease Kreis to Jack Kane, their country club manager, while still retaining ownership.  He successfully ran and enhanced the business, introducting the enormous portion of Prime Rib of Beef, a signature dish which the restaurant still prides itself on.

It has served as a comfortable and familiar gathering place for it’s St. Louis customers. The consistency and quality of Kreis’ ensured loyal clientele for generations, Helen Kane, his wife, remained operator until the Kreis’ decision to sell the business and property to Byron Tompras and his brother Virgil “Tyke” Tompras in 1983.

Byron’s Golden Touch The Tompras brothers valued tradition and made very few changes to this historic dinery… retaining the same interior, the “New York Style” waiters… the Signature Prime Rib plus the German style specialties and the relaxing country club atmosphere.

The combination of Byron’s expertise and knowledge of the food industry and Tyke’s managerial skills was the key to Kreis’ success. In 1984 an unfortunate fire burned a large portion of the restaurant… the Tompras family used this opportunity to rebuild, expand and by bringing the kitchen up to the restaurant level, was able to accommodate the booming business it was experiencing.

A Family Tradition Since Byron’s death in 1989 and Tyke’s retirement in 1990, Byron’s children, George Tompras and Renee Tompras Bogdanos have operated this St. Louis Landmark, expanding the menu to keep pace with modern demands while adhering to the tradition for quality, consistency, customer service and innovation that made Kreis’ famous.

George B Tompras and Renee Tompras Bogdanos