Growing up, Nick LaBruzzo never tired of watching the 1950s-era movie Hollywood Knights. In fact, he estimates he's viewed the flick, centered on the characters' adolescent pranks, more than 50 times. When opening a restaurant about 20 years ago, it was only logical that the Gladstone man would name the eatery after the movie's hang-out, a drive-in named Tubby's.

A Kansas City restaurant at 3756 Broadway owes its beginnings to LaBruzzo, and its present existence to his owner-operator sons, Vito and Nick. Hungry visitors encounter an eatery steeped in 50's decor, from the black-and-white checkered floors to the vinyl, bench and booth style seating beneath walls covered with vintage photos of movie stars and singers.

Tunes reminiscent of the era of poodle skirts complete the eatery's yesteryear ambiance. The menu also is designed to reflect the down-home, grill-style cooking of years past. In fact, the younger Nick credits the menu items, which start at $5 for breakfast with a drink and include a burger, fries and drink for lunch. They also serve up steak and eggs for only $12.

The location, betweenWestport and downtown, is also is a draw. So is the menu, which includes three pages of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Biscuits and gravy and home-baked desserts,  including a triple-layer cake, soft-serve ice cream and different specials are offered each day.

Nick credits all of these attributes with the restaurant's brisk business despite a sluggish economy. Chubby's uses fresh produce, delivered daily. Chubby’s is open around the clock, except on Mondays, when it closes at 2 p.m. for a deep cleaning. The late-night operation results in brisk early morning crowds on Fridays and Saturdays, after bars close for the night.

Running a spick 'n span establishment doesn't hurt, ether, said the younger Nick.

"My Dad used to say that if a restaurant is clean, customers will remember that," he said.

While the older Nick said he's proud of his sons’ success, he also worries about the stress.

"My first reaction is, 'I think they're crazy,'" he said. "It's a tough way to make a living. But I know they can handle it, and I'm behind them all the way."

Nick the father attributes his sons' success in the business to growing up working in his restaurant. "They've been around a long time," he said of his sons, who first worked in his restaurant busing tables by age 8 or 9. At their father's side, they also learned to do some of the many other chores associated with running a restaurant and even learned to cook.

The older Nick said he raised his own sons much the way his father raised him. Nick and Vito's grandfather owned The Wheel, a bar and grill located in the East Bottoms, for about 30 years.

"It (the restaurant business) is kind of our birthright," Vito said. “It's what I was raised on. It's really what I know best."
 

Chubby's original location, where the boys learned about the restaurant business, was at 1835 Independence Avenue. Chubby's also operated for a time only blocks from the present location at 3623 Broadway. This new building, which seats more than 200 people, was built for the restaurant.

Vito said he remembers working at his Dad's Chubby's, where he was promoted to cook at age 16. That's when he learned to use a flat grill and to make french fries and everything from omelets to cheeseburgers.

The family-style atmosphere appeals to customers and staff alike. Lisa Ray, a waitress there for the past three months, said the family showed confidence in her despite a troubled background. "They're great people," Ray said of the LaBruzzo clan. "It feels like I've been here forever."

Samantha Blackmon, another waitress, said she's also pleased to be working for the LaBruzzos.

"I love it here," she said. "They're like family."

As for the diner's future, the 38-member staff has a prediction, joking about Vito and his wife Michelle's 3-month-old son, Nick. They call him "boss."