Village Café brings community and comfort food to Coleman

COLEMAN – New to the Coleman community, Village Café officially opened its doors to the public on Oct. 10, but has quickly become a staple throughout the area.

Owners Lori and Dennis Gross originally bought the former Dog N Suds property with the intention of fixing up and selling it as a restaurant, however the renovation process was enough to convince Lori that plans needed to change.

“I was planning on retirement. So I said, ‘I need something to do, so let’s buy the building, fix it up and try to sell it as a restaurant once it’s fixed up,’” Lori explained.

“We worked on it from probably May to September and decided once it was all finished and complete that it was very eye-catching, and I said, ‘I think I want to run this as a restaurant.’”

Despite the change in plan, the driving force behind fixing up the building was always the hope of satisfying the community’s need for a family restaurant.

“My husband and I, we both worked for the village, so we are very community-oriented. We needed a restaurant here very [badly]. When I worked for the village we did a community survey, and that was one of the biggest needs — that we needed a family restaurant,” Lori shared.

The process of renovating the building included replacements of both the roof and air conditioner, among other challenges that the building posed.

“The building needed a lot of work,” Lori said. “When we looked at it, it was like, ‘Oh, boy.’ It was overwhelming, but we took [it] one day at a time and got done what we needed to get done.”
According to Lori, the maroon and beige color scheme, decorations and atmosphere of the building have received high praise from customers.

“I kind of went retro,” she shared. “We have an old jukebox, and I got vintage signs hung up. We met with the [owner of] Dog N Suds that used to own the [building] and he gave us some posters, so we did just a little wall with his memorabilia.”

Along with an abundance of history, the Village Café is also offering up an extensive menu of breakfast favorites, such as omelets, pancakes, breakfast burritos and french toast as well as classic lunch items, including burgers, sandwiches, salads and wraps.

“We got a donut maker that we have and we plan on making cake donuts,” Lori added.

Also found on site is a Los Magueyes Restaurant food truck.

Lori said, “They’re also doing an excellent job. We’re kind of partnering with them, you know, if one family member wants to eat Mexican they can bring it inside and eat with their family, and vice versa.”

While the restaurant is still new to the community, it has already found a permanent place as a Coleman favorite.

“It has been very exciting. The community has been so positive. We’ve had many, many repeat customers, [and] hardly any complaints.This has been a big family event for us. I have three children and their spouses and 13 grandchildren — and opening weekend, every single one of them was here helping, and each weekend they come and all help,” Lori said.

Village Café is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week, and can be found at 131 County Rd. B in Coleman. For more information and to see the rotating specials, visit the Village Café - Coleman page on Facebook.

Pass It Forward™ editorial is sponsored by Packers Give Back, Nicolet National Bank and the National Trust for Local News.