It was his name above the door, true.

But to Frank Edwards, that would never be a good reason to delegate the dirty work.

At Frank’s Country Inn, “my job is to do whatever’s expedient to do,” the restaurant owner once told the Tulsa World.

“I don’t have to mop the floor, but sometimes I’m the best guy to do it. On Father’s Day I washed dishes. It’s not an executive position. I’m a leader. I don’t know how large chains do it — guys walking around in suits.”

That hands-on, lead-by-example approach would not change over Edwards’ more than 35 years as a restaurateur.

And it was a big reason why Frank’s Country Inn — home of the 100-item, all-you-can-eat buffet and “bodacious” salad bar — became a dining staple for a generation of Tulsans.

Frank Miller Edwards died Aug. 19. He was 79.

A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Friday at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Schaudt’s Funeral Service is handling arrangements.

Asked once what his favorite item was on the hundred-item buffet, Edwards hesitated.

“It’s a toughie, because I designed it all,” he said. But if he had to choose, it would be the fried chicken.

It was, after all, the one that started it all.

Frank’s Country Inn, at 27th Street and Memorial Drive, began in 1972 as Frank’s Chicken House after Edwards took over a former barbecue joint at the location.

The chicken, from a recipe of his mother’s, was the draw. From there, he went on to expand the menu. Eventually he began emphasizing the buffet, and it was that for which he would become best known.