Life in the Old Barnard Cafe

Nancy Houghton, owner of the former Betty's Place in downtown Barnard, is bringing back a bit of life to the old building.  She is hosting dinners on Wednesday nights.  There was a good turn out this last Wednesday night.  Dinner nights are posted on the front door so keep an eye out and I will try to do better about keeping the blog updated.

Going...Going...GONE!

The Barnard city council was accepting bids for the cafe building in Barnard, Kansas.  The city had advertised for the previous month for interested parties to purchase the building with the city reserving the right to refuse any and all bids.  Two bids were received.  One bid was for $2500 and was submitted by Gary Segal who was from Hunter.  His intention was to run it as a cafe.  It would have benefited Barnard by continuing as a restaurant.  The other bid was from Barnard city council member, Nancy Houghton, for $3000.  Nancy said she was going to use it to house her arts and crafts and possibly her baking.  She has no intention of running it as a restaurant.  The city went with coucilperson Houghton's bid.

The cafe had troubles remaining open since Betty Loy closed her cafe, Betty's Place, over a decade ago.  Since then, several had tried to run it but those efforts were plagued by arbitrary hours of operation, varying quality of food, and hospitality.  A few years ago, angel donors donated money to the city for the purchase and maintenance of the building in hopes that it would continue to be a vibrant part of community life as a restaurant.  The last tenant vacated the building about a year ago after being in business a year.  During the last part of 2013, a pipe burst causing damage and the city collected $6000 in money from the insurance company for repairs.  The city decided to keep the money and place the building up for sale as is leaving the U.S. Postal Service as the only downtown business left in Barnard.  The Cargill leased elevator continues to serve coffee and candy for the morning social crowd.

Barnard's Cafe...A Memory?

Previous to the November council meeting, a serious water leak developed in the café building in downtown Barnard resulting in damage to the building, fixtures and equipment, and furnishings.  The city collected approximately $6,000 from the insurance company to cover repairs. 

The building, its future, and the insurance money were the topics for discussion during the November and December council meetings.  The points of discussion were what to do with the insurance money and what to do with the building. 

Discussion points:

1.  Repairing the building for a new tenant.  Barb Rathbun had been in communication with Munchies in Lincoln to determine the interest in the Barnard café.  Their response was unknown in November.
2.  Using the insurance money to reimburse the angel donors.  This notion was dismissed because the donors had given the money to the city for the building.  It was not a loan.
3.  Repairing the building and selling it.
4.  Keeping the insurance money and selling the building as is.

During the December council meeting, it was determined that the city would keep the insurance money and put the building up for sale as is.  It was stated that there were several interested parties interested in the building.  The city will be accepting bids through the end of December.

The café had several re-starts after Betty Loy closed Betty's Place a number of years ago.  Subsequent attempts at opening the restaurant were unsuccessful for various reasons such as arbitrary hours of operation, food quality, price, and hospitality.  Several community members stated that the café had nothing to draw people in unlike Betty's Place, which received national attention.  State highway employees said that they all wanted to get the Barnard run when they had to work on the roads.  If they got the morning run, they could get cinnamon rolls and if they got the afternoon run, they could get Betty's chicken.  Could Betty be persuaded to re-open Betty's Place? 

Restaurant for Rent in Barnard

The restaurant formerly known as "Betty's Place" in Barnard, Kansas is now available for rent.  The building was vacated by the previous tenant.  The building is owned by the city of Barnard and the city government wants to find a new tenant to fill the space.  It is still set up as a restaurant and many items are included in the building.

For specific details, please contact the Barnard city offices.  Barb Rathbun is the city clerk and will be able to answer your questions.  The phone number for the clerk's office is785-792-6270 and offices hours are on Monday mornings until noon.

Cafe to Close...

The eatery in the building formerly known as Betty's Place will close on February 10, 2013.

GOOD FOOD!

Okay...it isn't Barnard, but most of Barnard is usually there!

Their daily prices look pretty good and the locals tell me that the portions are good sized.

A Betty's Place Memory From the Fair

One of the people that stopped by the Barnard Banter booth at the fair had a Betty's Place memory to share.  He shared that he lived a little ways west of Barnard and used to work for the state.  He recounted how the state guys used to argue over who got to drive the trucks into Barnard.  If they drove the morning trucks in, they made it a point to stop in for Betty's cinnamon rolls.  If they drove in around lunch time, they got some of Betty's chicken. 

Since I've been involved with the Barnard community, many have told me how legendary Betty's Place was.  You can still find some reviews from national publications online.  Betty's Place has been closed for a while, but it made quite an impression on people.

Salt Creek Cafe Displays Metal Art

Cathy Brockway (left) of the Salt Creek Cafe in Barnard proudly displays a farm scene designed by her son-in-law, Jake Cline of Minneapolis.  Cline used a computer-guided plasma cutter to create the scene.



Photo and caption submitted by a reader.

Lincoln Business Closes but Barnard's Salt Creek Cafe Booms.

In mid-May, a familiar fixture on Main Street in Lincoln, Kansas closed.  Owners cited unforeseen circumstances.  A sampling of Lincoln County residents expressed different views on the closing.  Some were surprised that it had closed and will miss breakfasts and lunches at a favorite dining establishment.  Others were not so surprised because of declining quality in food, and service with an increase in prices.

However, another Lincoln County eatery has had a different story.  The Salt Creek Cafe in Barnard has continued to thrive and business continues to increase.  A motorcycle group of about 25 riders recently visited the cafe and said that Barnard has quite a gem.  Other cafe customers compare the Salt Creek Cafe to its predecessor, Betty's Place.  They express that they are glad that Barnard has been able to re-establish itself as a place to come for good food.  Recently, owner Cathy Brockway started Steak Night on the first and last Saturdays of the month.

Salt Creek Cafe Summer Hours

Starting on May 9...

Monday and Tuesday...Closed
Wednesday-Saturday...7am-2pm and 5pm-8pm
Sunday...11am-2pm

Cafe Needs New Roof

Cathy Brockway has done wonders with the Salt Creek Cafe.  Business continues to improve and traffic on Main Street in Barnard, Kansas has increased.  It is great to see life in Barnard.

However, the cafe building is leased from the city.  The city has been trying to figure out for months what to do about the roof on the building.  Plans are to put a metal roof on the building and to insulate the roof to make the cafe more economical to operate.  The current roof is deteriorating.  The city has been trying to raise money for the project, but though there has been $2000 raised, the cost of the roof is $4500-$5000.

The city would appreciate any donations made to the cafe fund.  To find out how you can help, call the Barnard City Clerk, Barb Rathbun, at (785) 792-6270.

Salt Creek Cafe

Kathy Brockway, owner-operator of the Salt Creek Cafe is very excited about how well the cafe has done.  The Salt Creek Cafe continues to do better than she expected.  Kathy is grateful that the community has supported the cafe since it opened a little over a month ago.

There is something new coming to the cafe.  Kathy is introducing a salad bar.  Right now, the salad bar is undergoing repairs and getting a new compressor.  Without any unforeseen problems, the salad bar should make its debut in about three weeks.  It is planned to be a daily feature.

Salt Creek Cafe is a Success

Cathy Brockway, owner of the Salt Creek Cafe in Barnard, is pleased and grateful that business has been so good the first three days of business.  Matter of fact, it is much better than she expected.

The first time business owner said that she opened the business because the community needed something. She hoped that the support would be there because many members in the community asked her to do it.  I asked Cathy what her business philosophy is and even though she hasn't had a business before, without hesitation she said "If you take care of your customers, they will take care of you."

Taking good care of customers is what the Salt Creek Cafe has been doing.  From fresh hamburger patties that have never been frozen to incredible fried chicken and a Sunday buffet with three meats,  the new owner of the former Betty's Place has really been serving it up.  Food portions are monstrous, the prices are extremely reasonable, and a customer is never an imposition.

Salt Creek Cafe Menu

Click on images to enlarge

Salt Creek Cafe Opens February 10th

A place in Barnard that has seen more food served than your Grandma's kitchen will reopen on Friday, February 10th at 7 a.m. in Barnard, KS.  The Salt Creek Cafe will open under the ownership of Cathy Brockway, a Barnard resident whose family has been in the community for generations.

Cathy, who is no stranger to restaurants, wanted to reopen the cafe for the community after it closed under the previous owner.  At a city council meeting, the council was enthusiastic when Cathy approached them about reopening the cafe.  The cafe has struggled under several owners since the former Betty's Place closed, but with Cathy's savvy and determination, it will be a roaring success.

The Salt Creek Cafe will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. serving breakfast from 7 a.m until 10 p.m.  Sunday hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The Salt Creek Cafe will be closed the first Sunday of the month.  There will be daily specials.

The Salt Creek Cafe is the building 3/4 down the block with the white awning.