The mission of the Country Spirit is to provide a high quality dining experience in a clean, upscale, family setting. Our every effort focuses on making our guests feel comfortable and satisfied from the moment they walk through our doors.

Our passion is creating a dining experience our patrons can get nowhere else and will choose over all other eating establishments. The atmosphere exudes familiarity, friendship, and happiness and beckons our customers to return again and again.

In 1986, after his second year in business, Arthur Kendrick won Restaurateur of the Year. The son of a butcher who opened his first Henniker eatery in the 1950s, Kendrick came out of retirement to bring his “two sons” into the business.

Kendrick’s son Michael recently returned to Henniker after cooking in Oregon for several years. His other “son” is Rick Hall, a Henniker resident who worked at the Spirit for years from its opening and later as a chef at Congressman Bill Zeliff’s Christmas Farm Inn and other prestigious kitchens.

“We wanted to return the restaurant to its original glory,” says Arthur, nearly 80 years old. “Mike and Rick bring lots of good ideas -- West coast and young ideas,” says Arthur, who lends his experience to the business and makes everyone feel like an old friend.

“I’ve always known I’d own the Spirit. It’s who I am – it’s Henniker,” says Hall. “The new Country Spirit is part of the restaurant rejuvenation in this area coming from places all around New England.”

Sally Kendrick, who chose the original signs and antiques that bring so much charm to the Spirit, jokes of her husband of more than 50 years, “You’re looking at a crazy man. He has a lot of energy. We both do, and we both are healthy. We are so fortunate.” Join us often and become part of the Country Spirit family.