LaCrosse C-Pride seeks new operators for café

LaCrosse Community Pride is looking for new proprietors for the LaCrosse Café. In September they placed advertisements on Facebook, in the Whitman County Gazette and all over Washington state announcing the opportunity was open for someone to operate the restaurant in LaCrosse.

They have received inquiries, but no full applications.

LaCrosse Community Pride member Lois Startin says the group encourages the use of the building as a restaurant, but is open to suggestions for changes.

Over the last few years the restaurant has been operated as Hazel’s Place Teapot Café, Grillbilly Café, Route 26 Café and most recently LaCrosse Café.

The café currently operates Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

The current operators, Darlene Kates, Julie Roberts and Soni Broeckel, are a mother, daughter and granddaughter combination.

Darlene and Julie ran the Dusty Café from 1988 to 2005, and after taking a break they took on the task of running LaCrosse Café which is owned by LaCrosse Community Pride, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing their community.

After running the café for the past two years, Darlene wants to retire, and Julie now works part-time for the school and wants to focus more there. They have offered to remain involved long enough to help the new operators get started if they need some assistance.

In 2013, the building was restored and furnished with fixtures, dishes, tables and chairs before being launched by Dione Evans as The Grillbilly Café.

Carol Cauley and Jeff Andrus, members of LaCrosse Community Pride, are noted as the contacts available to assist interested parties.