By Aaron Vehling

After 25 years operating her own day care business, Debbie Anderson of Stark and formerly of Stacy, was ready for the next phase in her life.

She said she enjoyed her time caring for children, but saw something new in the horizon. In June, along with her daughter, 28-year-old Mindy Hansen of Fish Lake Township and formerly of Stacy, Anderson took on a new role - restaurateur.

The Stacy Country Cafe is one of the first businesses in the new business park in Stacy on CR-30, across from Timís Country Cupboard. As its name suggests, it has a down-home country ambience, complete with models of the tractors of yesteryear on shelves (and pictures of tractors on the menus) and country music playing on an overhead stereo system.

The cuisine suggests mom-and-pop with a taste of Scandinavian Minnesota. The Country Cafe serves everything from hamburgers and fries to red potatoes and Swedish meatballs. There is also a daily buffet.

Floyd Bates of Forest Lake enjoys the cafe. When the Post Review approached him for an interview, he was finishing up his second visit.

ìThey have the freshest hamburger Iíve tasted in a long time,î he said.

Beginnings
Opening a restaurant is no small task.

ìIt took about a year of planning,î Anderson said.

They hired someone to assist them in developing a business plan and had to get financing from the bank.

To get a certain ìlookî the two women worked with an architect who had experience designing restaurants. They worked with some contractors to put the plan into motion, including two North Branch businesses, Bergum Concrete and Masonry and Graphic Homes.

Family members also participated in preparations. Andersonís and Hansenís husbands helped with various elements of construction - from cement work to framing and stripping.

In some ways the restaurant is an extension of the catering creations of Andersonís mother- and father-in-law, Dick and Sonja Anderson.

Plenty of what diners enjoy at the Country Cafe are family recipes Debbie Anderson picked up while helping her in-laws with their catering business, Anderson said.

ìWeíre carrying on the tradition,î she said.

Business
ìWeíve been very busy,î Anderson said of the steady flow of customers her restaurant receives.
Hansen was equally optimistic.

ìItís been better than expected,î she said.

The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., a time frame both owners have covered. They are deeply involved in the daily operation of the Country Cafe and alternate their day-long shifts between each other. In addition, the two women also cook and clean.

They have hired short-order cooks to handle most of the orders, but Anderson and Hansen prepare a lot of the homemade offerings, such as the pie, Anderson said.

The tough stuff
Aside from planning and preparation, there have been other challenges for Hansen and Anderson.

Hansen went from working at a bank in Stacy to being a stay-at-home mom and is now co-owner of a restaurant where she spends much of her time. It has taken some getting used to.

ìItís been a big adjustment for my kids,î she said.

Another challenge is staffing.

ìWe need to have enough staff to keep us happy and to keep the customer happy,î Anderson said.

The two women are optimistic about the future of the Country Cafe.

Anderson sees longevity in the restaurantís operating future.

ìWeíre just going to keep on cooking.î

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