|
|
|
January 31, 2000
Lyle's cafein Winthrophas newownersBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer WINTHROP -- Although the original "pie lady of Winthrop" who made Lyle's Cafe famous is no longer around, the new owners of the restaurant have plans to continue a decades-old tradition. Elaine Ricki-Wirtanen and Barb Johnson, both of Winthrop, signed the papers on Dec. 31 and took over ownership of the cafe Jan. 1. The previous owner, Dan Steves, lives in Arkansas. "The owner had no connection with the community and that is not good business for a small town like Winthrop," Johnson said. "The money was going right out of town." Johnson has worked in the restaurant business most of her life, starting at the Princess Cafe in Winthrop when she was 13 years old. She also worked at restaurants in New Hope and Chanhassen before returning to Winthrop. "I knew I wanted to own my own restaurant here in Winthrop and told Elaine to keep an eye out for a business," she said. "She is a real-estate agent and I met her about two years ago when I came back to Winthrop." When the property became available, Johnson knew it was too much of a responsibility for one person, so she asked Wirtanen to help her with the business. "I am here a lot more than Elaine, because she has other responsibilities," Johnson said. "I knew what I was getting into and I'm very happy." After taking over the restaurant, it was closed for a short time. They cleaned, added new light fixtures and painted the paneling white to make it brighter. "The meals are more homemade than they have been in recent years," Johnson said. "We are getting back to the more traditional home-cooking style." Most of the staff has been at Lyle's Cafe for years, including their pie baker, who has 52 years of experience and trained under Mina Peterson, the original pie lady. "We are open longer hours than before, which allows us to be more responsive to the needs of the community," Johnson said. Hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. "I am thoroughly happy with it," Johnson said. "People are the important thing to this business, and this is the only place in town where people can go." Operating the restaurant requires a lot of energy and yields some fun times. "I didn't realize it would be this much work," Wirtanen said. "It has been standing room only in here at times. I also didn't know it would be this much fun." The important thing is that the restaurant is theirs, and their efforts add value to what they do every day. "The community has been super supportive of us, and we buy locally as much as possible," she said. "We have a more colorful menu, but have not made any major changes to what is offered." They use only fresh dairy products, real vegetables, real potatoes, real meats and brand named condiments. No substitutes will be found at Lyle's Cafe. The new owners admit that if people can't eat real butter, they better not come in the door. "Our goal when we opened was to return Lyle's back to what people remember and what they want," Johnson said. "We even offer stable hours as opposed to the way it was a few months ago, when you never really knew when the place was open." Johnson said there was no way she would have attempted to start a restaurant from scratch in Winthrop, because it just could not be done. "We have to prove ourselves and that takes time, but we are gaining trust from residents," Johnson said.
|