Thirty-five years ago, Bernice Kelley washed dishes for 50 cents an hour in her parents' first restaurant. She has worked in the restaurant industry in some capacity ever since.
"I love doing it," she said.
Her parents, David and Anita Moore, now own four restaurants across the Top of Utah -- in Ogden, West Haven, Perry and Harrisville.
Bernice, the oldest of the Moores' four children, and her husband, Nolan Kelley, manage the newest location -- Moore's Café in Perry.
Many of the menu items are the same ones that the Moore's restaurants have become famous for, such as the giant Cinnamon Rolls ($3), Scones ($3.50), plate-size Buttermilk Pancakes ($4.50), and their signature-recipe Biscuits and Sausage Gravy ($8), served with two eggs and hash browns.
Like nearly everything on the menu, the hash browns are made fresh from scratch daily. Hog Heaven ($10) begins with a bed of hash browns and piles on cheese, sausage, ham, bacon, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs.
For lunch, hamburgers are a popular pick, including the Cowboy Burger ($7), with American cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce and onion straws, and the Hot Hamburger sandwich ($8), served open-face, smothered in gravy.
On Friday nights, Moore's serves Prime Rib ($15), with choice of potato, vegetable, soup or salad and a dinner roll.
Kelley has also added some of her own recipes to her menu, such as the Berry Good Salad ($9), made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, candied pecans and gorgonzola cheese on a bed of greens; Chicken Oscar ($11), grilled chicken breast with crab, asparagus and hollandaise sauce; and Monte Cristo and Reuben sandwiches ($7/each).
But what she enjoys the most is making dessert. "My specialty is my pies," she said. They come in a variety of cream and seasonal fruit flavors ($3.50/slice).
Kelley credits much of her restaurant's success to her staff.
"I have the best waitresses in Utah. They treat our customers like gold."
Moore’s Café
- Address: 2645 S. U.S. 89, Perry
- Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
- Phone: 435-723-5565