Prefer two wheels? Maybe you’re a ROMEO!

By Lynn Anderson

“One thing that holds true with most motorcyclists is that they go somewhere to be able to ride, more than riding to get somewhere.”

That statement from the ROMEO (Retired Old Motorcyclists Eating Out) Web page says it all—and it explains what this group of (mostly) men on wheels is all about. It’s the enjoyment of the ride, “being in the open while the landscape unfurls in front of us.”

The ROMEOs is an organization (except this bunch of freewheelers doesn’t much like terms like that) formed six or seven years ago by a man from Lindsborg, Kan. He was righteously tired of riding his motorcycle on freeways that bypassed all the intriguing little towns along his path. So he picked a date and a place and sent word to some motorcyclist friends, encouraging them to ride in and gather for a meal.

The goals were two: help welcoming mom-and-pop cafes in struggling little towns by consuming a hefty amount of bacon, eggs, and burgers, and provide some socializing for guys who tend to spend a lot of their road time alone. It didn’t hurt that, more often than not, there was good home cooking.

That initial gang around Lindsborg soon gathered more riders into its flock. Over time other riders heard echoes of their wheels on the dirt roads, and now four ROMEO groups traverse Kansas: the South Central Kansas ROMEOs, operating out of Wichita; the North Central Kansas group, out of Lindsborg; Eastern Kansas, out of Topeka; and the newest, a Kansas City ROMEO faction, functioning since fall 2009. The KC group has riders from Independence, Raytown, and other cities, but the bulk of its members live in Johnson County.

The ROMEOs stress that they are not a club. There are no officers, no dues, no real organization of any kind. One rider in each area simply agrees to name the eating destination each week (often based on suggestions from other riders), announce it online, kick-start the phone tree, and now and then post updates to the group’s Web site.

The Kansas City group sets out on Tuesdays.

“That day is very popular with restaurants because it’s their least busy day, and it allows our group members to meet up with one of the other regional groups that traditionally rides on Wednesdays,” Roger Shores explains, the former coordinator of the Kansas City group.

Shores tries not to choose the same restaurant twice. He posts the destination on the Web site, where most riders see it. Those who don’t use the Internet get notified by e-mail or phone calling tree.

“Word gets around pretty good,” says Shores.

Like many ROMEOs, Shores is a hard-riding guy who once motored to Salt Lake City and back in 36 hours.

The ROMEO tradition is about more than food and small-talk.

Dave Hering, 62, of Lenexa, a former Marine and a Kansas City group regular, describes dropping into a storefront in Bartlesville, OK., long ago. Formerly a barber shop, the place now just held a coffee pot and three tables for playing checkers. But it was a popular draw for lots of the town’s men.

“Guys don’t want to admit they need social groups like women, but they do,” Hering says.

Shores is equally articulate about the human value of the ROMEOs. He explains that some men, especially those from certain stressful fields of work, turn to alcohol once they’ve retired. And for some riders, including widowers and singles, loneliness is pervasive. But when those men find the ROMEOs, they view it as a form of salvation.

“This is all they have,” Shores said, “and they thank me over and over.”

Most of the Kansas City ROMEOs are Johnson County residents, and their weekly lunch gatherings can draw anywhere from 10 to 45 riders. Hering says the largest group he’s met for a meal had 65 around the tables. Turnout depends on the state of the outdoors.

Says Shores, “A lot of the guys don’t make up their mind about whether they’re coming until they wake up that day and look at the weather!”

He and the other ROMEO organizers are proud of their contributions to the local economies.

“Between all the groups in Kansas, the ROMEOs send 200 to 250 riders into those small restaurants each week, for at least nine months of the year,” Shores said.

The ROMEOs are as eclectic as the bikes they ride, which range from 200cc motor scooters to large touring bikes and trikes, from antique to futuristic. The common bond of the men is that they love motorcycles and they like to eat.

With some biker organizations, riders meet up at an appointed time and place to travel in large groups, but unwelcome pressure goes along with a schedule like that.

“We don’t want to have to worry about being somewhere on time,” says Shores. “We just get here when we get here. We all eat and talk, and afterward a few will break off and go get an ice cream cone or sometimes take another small ride.”

In the early days of the Kansas City ROMEOs, restaurant destinations sometimes were as far as 160 to 200 miles out, but by consensus the group now mostly sticks to an 80- or 90-mile circumference.

Just before the holidays, the local ROMEOs met at Miss B’s Café in Louisburg, Kan. Theirs are called “lunch” gatherings, but the men started pulling up before 10:00 a.m. and were long gone by noon.

According to Hering, “It can be hard for restaurants to handle the crowds, so for lunch we get there by 11:00, before the regular diners arrive.”

In summer they often meet for breakfast, and then the appointed hour is 8:30 or 9:00, after the local farmers have finished eating and headed into the fields. The ROMEOs are unfailingly polite and obliging.

“We don’t ever complain about the food or the service,” says Shores. “And we let the waitresses bring out the food as it gets cooked.”

On this day, because of the weather, many of the ROMEOs are decked out in high-tech, heated riding duds. A couple of them are wearing vivid yellow shirts with the ROMEOs logo on them, and several have ROMEOs ball caps monogrammed with their names.

“Most of us are pretty proud of the group,” Shores smiled.

Some of the local ROMEOs have been riding since they were 11 years old, some just started. The youngest are in their upper 50s, the oldest in their 80s.

A few women occasionally join the group, usually spouses or partners of the men. Hering grinned while describing one woman in her 60s, who rides a Harley 900 Sportster. A local television station was filming a piece about the ROMEOs when she happened to be present.

“She was worried her father would see her on TV and realize she rides!” he said, laughing.

Shores extends an invitation to all readers who have motorcycles or an interest in motorcycles to join the ROMEOs for a meal. Rides are announced on the Web site each weekend, usually not later than Sunday noon. Visit www.RomeoRiders.com.

Says Shores, “No rules, no dues. Just friendship!”