SIKESTON -- The regular customers at Bo's Breakfast and Bar-B-Q were in for a treat Thursday morning when nationally known television journalist Diane Sawyer and her film crew stopped in for a visit -- and homemade breakfast, of course.
Tom Williams, manager of the Sikeston restaurant on East Malone Avenue, said it was a surprise when Sawyer and her three film crew members walked in to the restaurant at about 7 a.m. Thursday.
"It was a pleasant surprise," Williams said on Friday. "She walked in and there she was."
Sawyer, who is a Glasgow, Ky., native, previously worked as the anchor of ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer" and she continues to hold exclusive interviews for ABC and investigate stories for the network's "20/20."
"She said they woke up hungry and heard we had the best breakfast," Williams recalled about conversations with Sawyer.
The place was packed, Williams said, estimating 40 customers were present when Sawyer arrived.
"She had three crew members and their cameras were going, and a lady was filming the outside of the business and the Bo's sign. Diane was interviewing customers about their opinions about sexual harassment in the workplace and politics," Williams said.
Sawyer was asking questions on how Wiliams and his customers felt the government was handling the sex harassment charges
"I told her: 'I was born and raised down here and you might not like some of their answers,'" Williams recalled.
Sawyer and her crew said they were on their way to St. Louis to meet with a team of female truck drivers, Williams said. In a mostly male-prevalent job, she wanted to take to them to see how it was to them, he noted.
Wiliams said he was very impressed with customers for respecting Sawyer's privacy during her stop in Sikeston. Anyone she interviewed was at Sawyer's request, he said.
"She approached them to be interviewed," Williams said.
By around 8 a.m., Sawyer and her crew left -- but things were far from back to normal.
By then, Sawyer's visit was already lighting up local residents' Facebook pages.
"It was on Facebook before I took my jacket off," Williams joked, adding it was one of his regular customers who also met Sawyer who made the first post about her visit.
Later Thursday morning Williams posted a photo of himself with Sawyer on Bo's Bar-B-Q Facebook page with the following message: "When you come to Bo's, you never know who else might show up. Big thanks to Diane Sawyer and her crew for stopping in and chatting this morning."
By Friday morning, Bo's was still abuzz about Sawyer's visit.
Williams said people have been calling and texting him constantly, asking about Sawyer's visit.
People keep asking Williams if he was starstruck, which he Wiliams said he wasn't, but had it been one of his favorite sports figures like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, the story might have been different, he said.
However, Williams said he was impressed with how down-to-earth Sawyer seemed.
"She wasn't snooty at all," he said.
Her entourage was nice, too, Williams said.
"They all shook your hands and whatever asked, they answered and they volunteered information," Williams said. "They were great."