Wee Blu Inn Continues Long Tradition of Facilitating Friendships and Serving Good Food

Pictured: An award-winning Big Mo Burger with hand cut fries. Photo by Denise Windley

By Denise Windley

The dial on the clock shifts past twelve.  It’s a weekday at the Wee Blu Inn, and the phone is ringing steady with the daily inquiry. What is the special of the day?

Owner Diane Johnson steps from her work at the bar to answer the call. On this day it’s the Green Chili Burger, served with salad or fries on the side.  For $6, the meal is a steal.  But it’s not the only thing on the menu that keeps people calling and coming back for more.

As one of the longest-running Payson establishments, Wee Blu Inn has built a solid reputation as the go-to place for good food and hospitality that dates back to its days under the ownership of the late Merlin “Mo” Phillips, who originated many of its recipes.

Its reputation was confirmed by a customer, Mel, last week.  “The food in here is great,” he says as he sips hot coffee at the bar and chats with the Wee Blu’s Randy Kelsey.  He is waiting for his wife to arrive for lunch.

Mel likes the BLT, he says.  Judging by the selection on the menu board hanging above the kitchen’s service window, having only one favorite is easier said than done. House specials include a club sandwich, bacon and swiss, a chicken or Malibu chicken sandwich, and the pastrami burger.  Golden hand cut french fries are stacked in abundance on the side. Each order is reasonably priced at $8. The dinner menu, which runs from $10-$16, offers hand-dipped halibut fish and chips, shrimp, chicken strips, or a combination of the above.  Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double burgers, super burgers, super cheese, fish sandwich, patty melt, grilled cheese with or without ham, Mel’s choice: the BLT, cold ham and cheese, and the cold turkey and swiss sandwiches are served with a bag of potato chips.  They range in price from $2 to $7.27. For salad eaters, both chef and chicken are available. Sides and smaller fares--fries, English chips, onion rings, tater tots, and corn dogs--can be added to orders or eaten alone.

Mid-week specials include Taco Tuesdays- $1 each, 50-cent-a-piece hot wings on Thursday evenings, and Friday Steak Night, each of which run from 6-9 PM. The grill is open from 11-9, Monday through Friday, and from 12-9 PM on Saturdays.  It rests on Sundays, but appetizers continue to be available on this day, with local favorites like cheese sticks, poppers, mushrooms, zucchini, egg rolls, and green beans on the agenda of eating.

To this day, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying--think huge!--bite to eat at the Wee Blu than the Big Mo Burger, an eight-dollar fare that comes with a side of golden fries.  A plaque on the wall near the kitchen notes that “The Big Mo” was named City Weekly’s Best Bar Burger, Staff Choice, in 2008. Named after its inventor, Merlin “Mo” Phillips, the Big Mo is as generous in size and toppings as was Merlin in his approach to doing business at the Wee Blu Inn.

Treating patrons like dear friends has been a complement to the quality of food at the Wee Blu since the days of Mo.  It is part of the appeal for patrons and friends, many who continue to drop by the unassuming building at 39 North Main.

“‘You always let your regulars know they are appreciated’,” Vickie Phillips said, sharing advice she and husband, Scott Phillips, Merlin’s son, received before they took over the business in 1988.

Merlin passed away ten years later, on January 24, 1998.

“You always had a good time when Merlin was around,” his daughter-in-law said.  “He made sure everybody had a good time.”

And when it came to the Wee Blu’s menu, “He was pretty meticulous about wanting to get the food to be good,” Vickie remarked.

She and Scott added these lessons to the experience they brought with them as owners in the late 1980s, having operated Walt’s Tavern on Main Street in Santaquin until that time.  Walt’s was popular in its own right, and had, on at least two occasions, seen the likes of rodeo cowboy-turned-country-singer Chris LeDoux drop in as a customer during a local concert tour, Susan Armstrong recalled.

Susan has worked with the Phillips family and Ms. Johnson for the past twenty-six years.  She was asked to join the Wee Blu staff around the same time Scott and Vickie hired Diane.  Diane took over the reins in 1998.

Today, Susan works as Wee Blu’s assistant manager.  “She does it all, except scheduling,” Diane said.  “She’s been great.”

Diane heads the busy operation as owner and manager.  Along with Susan, she runs grill when needed, although this job is largely the domain of cooks, Debbie Kornacki and Teri Wilson.  Serving customers are Shannon, Eryn, Lona, and Bobbi Dawn, the latter of whom also oversees karaoke night, which is held every-other Saturday evening at the Wee Blu Inn.  

Randy Kelsey helps out with service details and some of the fundraisers held on site and through participation in broader campaigns, such as the Sub For Santa program.  His talent as a woodworker has come in handy, building benches, mirrors, and banks in order to raise money for locals in need.

A more recent fundraiser at the Wee Blu involved music.  The Renik Benefit Show raised $1,660 for a local family whose young son was killed after being struck by two cars on his way to school in December.  The event included metal bands, Penalty of Treason, Lidsore, and Adjacent to Nothing, whose names are familiar to patrons who also have enjoyed their performances during the Wee Blu’s metal nights.

Musicians of all genres are given a stage to entertain a community eager to listen, dance, enjoy.  Sports enthusiasts come to cheer their teams on TV.  Soccer draws summer tourists passing through Payson.  Many of the soccer fans come from Canada, says Diane.

Friendly competition goes down on Dart Night, Wednesdays, starting at 7 PM.  Pool tournaments unfold the night after, Thursdays at 7 PM.  It’s a great way to mingle  and make new friends, Diane says. Folks arrive and, for $5, their name is tossed in the hat and drawn with a potentially new partner on each occasion.  Between a dozen to twenty participants have been showing up weekly, Diane adds, making for a fun night in a community of friends old and new.

The Wee Blu is more than a bar, a popular eating establishment, be it dine-in or carry-out.  It is a place where friendships form and flourish through the years.  A place that maintains Merlin “Mo” Phillips’ adherence to the Golden Rule: Treat customers with respect and to a good meal.