By Lindsey Richardt ’07
When Diane Richards ’00 enrolled in the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) Women’s External Degree program (now Woods Online), she wasn’t seeking a career change. Rather, already an accomplished entrepreneur with several thriving restaurants around the Wabash Valley, Richards was pursuing her love of lifelong learning and was motivated by the challenge of completing the degree she started years before.
It all started in 1976 when Richards and her husband, Gary, opened their first restaurant. With no experience in the restaurant industry, Gary left his job as a school teacher and Richards put her dream of finishing her degree on hold as the couple restored the barn that sits next to their home in Casey, Illinois. After two years of hard work, it was transformed into Richards Farm Restaurant.
“We had no real experience running a restaurant; we just dreamed of putting a restaurant in the barn beside our house, and did it,” Richards said. “Gary is an out-of-the-box thinker, and I have always been open to a new challenge.”
Though balancing the responsibility of a new restaurant and the needs of her then-young family was not easy, the couple kept each other motivated.
“When we opened in December of 1976, we had three small children. As we look back on those years, we wonder how we did it. To have our own business, coupled with the challenge and commitment of restoring our 1930’s Gothic Style barn…all I can say is being young with a can-do spirit went a long way.”
Over the next 20 years the couple’s entrepreneurial spirit drove them to open five additional restaurants. Between business and family responsibilities, it wasn’t until her own children were in college that Richards found time to think about finishing her degree. Richards completed a year of college in her early 20s and took various business courses over the years, but struggled to find a program that allowed her to balance work, family and school. That is, until she saw tv commercials for the Woods Online program.
“I knew I couldn’t stop everything in my daily routine to travel to a campus for class, so I checked out the Woods Online program. From the beginning, I was very impressed with the program. I felt confident I could fit school into my busy lifestyle almost immediately.”
In 1996, Richards was in her first year at SMWC when the couple opened one of Terre Haute’s most prominent restaurants, M. Mogger’s Restaurant and Pub. They restored a historic building that housed a beer brewing operation during the mid-1800s, and named the restaurant after German immigrant and brewing pioneer, Matthias Mogger. Mogger’s is a tribute to the rich brewing tradition that once thrived there and features a turn of the century atmosphere with antique brewing equipment.
Two years later, the couple opened Stables Steakhouse, an upscale steak restaurant located across the street from Mogger’s in the historic building that once housed the brewery district’s delivery horses. Stables features dark wood, leather furnishings, exposed brick and chandeliers. The restaurant is known for its award-winning steaks, cigar humidor and large selection of fine liquors. Most recently, Stables was listed on Open Table’s list of 100 most romantic restaurants in America!
Richards credits her experience at SMWC as one of the reasons she was open to taking on the challenge of opening new businesses while in college. “One cannot understand just how much they will benefit from school. Going back to college invigorated my interest in learning and growing. It inspired me to strive for more knowledge, to do more and be more.”
Richards enjoyed the opportunity to explore new interests at SMWC, ultimately graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. “I wanted the personal accomplishment of finishing my degree. I have always loved being involved in every aspect of my business, so I didn’t necessarily go back to school to change careers. I just believe in lifelong learning.”
Over the course of her career, the couple have opened ten restaurants, seven strength training facilities and a flower shop. Today, Richards says she and her husband are constantly working on their remaining restaurants, Richard’s Farm Restaurant, Mogger’s and Stables Steakhouse, but not necessarily in them.
“I usually do not share with people all that we’ve done because it sounds rather crazy, but nothing really scares us. Our businesses have been the central part of our lives for over 40 years. We still live next to Richards Farm and it is definitely tied to our heartstrings. I can still say, after all these years, our restaurants are and will always be a work in progress.”