Grand Marais's Blue Water Café sold
Aug 25, 2023 08:59AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Cook County News Herald
Republished with permission from the Cook County News Herald - August 25, 2023
By Brian Larsen
Blue Water Café sold to Satinder (Sam) and Sarabjit Bains on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Sam and his wife purchased Marathon Gas Station on January 5, 2022, and started a food truck this summer featuring food from India. A handshake deal with Bruce Block to buy Sydney’s ended 40 minutes later when Sydney’s burned down this last spring, so Sam has been looking for a restaurant ever since.
When asked about his plans for Blue Water, Sam said he would run the business much like the Riddles but might expand the hours if staffing allows. The menu will stay the same except the Indian food menu will be added for the supper hour.
The official sign-off will occur on November 1, but the deal is done, said co-owner Dan Riddle. And once the ink is dry, “I am staying at home on November 2,” Dan said with a smile. After managing the restaurant for 18 years, Dan and Melody Riddle bought Blue Water Café from Gene and Laurene Glader in 2005. Dan said the restaurant has been on the market for about one and a half years, but, he added, it was bittersweet to sell. “I wanted to run it a few more years, but my body was telling me no,” he added.
Over 36 years, the Riddles have built many friends and memories. “I have pictures of every (J-1) foreign student who has worked here in an album,” said Melody.
“The first two J-1 workers we hired were from Germany. That was 1988,” said Dan, who noted that some of those “kids” are now retired.
For many years, the restaurant was open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., but the Riddles had to cut back to being open for breakfast and lunch because of a lack of staff.
“We have 15 employees now. But in our heyday, we employed 45,” Dan said. Melody added, “We just can’t get the kids to work here anymore. It was hard to cut our hours, but we just had to.”
Running the restaurant through the COVID-19 pandemic was really hard, noted Dan. Unlike big box stores like Walmart or Target, which were allowed to stay open 24-7, the state had myriad rules for restaurants. “When they allowed us to serve food outside, we put four tables on the sidewalk after getting the city’s approval. The tables weren’t made for outside, so we had to bring them in every night. It was a workout,” Dan said.
Melody said the couple’s children showed no interest in buying the business. They grew up working in the restaurant, so they know what’s involved. That said, one of their daughters comes back to help clean the bunkhouse after the majority of J-1 students leave. That’s a three-four-day process, added Melody.
For now, the couple plans to keep the “bunkhouse” the former Cavallin Funeral Home converted to lodging for J-1 students and various other folks who can’t find housing. “We will offer it to Sam, but if he doesn’t want to purchase it, we will probably put it on the market early next year,” Melody said.
For the last two years, Dan and Melody have taken vacations. The first year, they headed south, and last year, they traveled west. “This year, we plan to travel east, but we don’t have to hurry back,” Melody exclaimed.
The Riddles have no plans to move. “Our house is paid for, and we don’t plan on leaving the area,” Melody said.
What will you miss? They were asked.
“The staff and locals who come here. We have had such a great staff,” Dan and Melody said, echoing each other.
Dan will train with Sam before the couple leaves. Once the business is handed off completely, the next time the couple comes in, it will be as customers. They will be back home in a place where they spent 36 years with lots of good memories and made good friends. Only this time, they will be served, and not the ones cooking and serving.
Thumbnail History of Blue Water Cafe
Blue Water Café began as Tony’s Eats in the 1940s. Sometime in the 1950s, the restaurant was renamed Du Nord, and it was expanded to add more kitchen and dining room space.
The 1960’s saw the restaurant renamed the El Rae Café. It was remolded with part of the remodel, adding booths.
Michael and Sharon Rusten purchased the El Rae in the 1970s and renamed it Blue Water Café. The couple also owned Cascade Lodge. In 1985, a second level called the Upper Deck was added to increase seating.
Over the last 18 years, the Riddles have made some changes to the restaurant. The Upper Deck was removed and is now a vacation rental. In 2018, the Riddles purchased the Pie Place pie-making equipment and added pies to the menu.
Republished with permission from the Cook County News Herald - August 25, 2023
By Brian Larsen
Blue Water Café sold to Satinder (Sam) and Sarabjit Bains on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Sam and his wife purchased Marathon Gas Station on January 5, 2022, and started a food truck this summer featuring food from India. A handshake deal with Bruce Block to buy Sydney’s ended 40 minutes later when Sydney’s burned down this last spring, so Sam has been looking for a restaurant ever since.
When asked about his plans for Blue Water, Sam said he would run the business much like the Riddles but might expand the hours if staffing allows. The menu will stay the same except the Indian food menu will be added for the supper hour.
The official sign-off will occur on November 1, but the deal is done, said co-owner Dan Riddle. And once the ink is dry, “I am staying at home on November 2,” Dan said with a smile. After managing the restaurant for 18 years, Dan and Melody Riddle bought Blue Water Café from Gene and Laurene Glader in 2005. Dan said the restaurant has been on the market for about one and a half years, but, he added, it was bittersweet to sell. “I wanted to run it a few more years, but my body was telling me no,” he added.
Over 36 years, the Riddles have built many friends and memories. “I have pictures of every (J-1) foreign student who has worked here in an album,” said Melody.
“The first two J-1 workers we hired were from Germany. That was 1988,” said Dan, who noted that some of those “kids” are now retired.
For many years, the restaurant was open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., but the Riddles had to cut back to being open for breakfast and lunch because of a lack of staff.
“We have 15 employees now. But in our heyday, we employed 45,” Dan said. Melody added, “We just can’t get the kids to work here anymore. It was hard to cut our hours, but we just had to.”
Running the restaurant through the COVID-19 pandemic was really hard, noted Dan. Unlike big box stores like Walmart or Target, which were allowed to stay open 24-7, the state had myriad rules for restaurants. “When they allowed us to serve food outside, we put four tables on the sidewalk after getting the city’s approval. The tables weren’t made for outside, so we had to bring them in every night. It was a workout,” Dan said.
Melody said the couple’s children showed no interest in buying the business. They grew up working in the restaurant, so they know what’s involved. That said, one of their daughters comes back to help clean the bunkhouse after the majority of J-1 students leave. That’s a three-four-day process, added Melody.
For now, the couple plans to keep the “bunkhouse” the former Cavallin Funeral Home converted to lodging for J-1 students and various other folks who can’t find housing. “We will offer it to Sam, but if he doesn’t want to purchase it, we will probably put it on the market early next year,” Melody said.
For the last two years, Dan and Melody have taken vacations. The first year, they headed south, and last year, they traveled west. “This year, we plan to travel east, but we don’t have to hurry back,” Melody exclaimed.
The Riddles have no plans to move. “Our house is paid for, and we don’t plan on leaving the area,” Melody said.
What will you miss? They were asked.
“The staff and locals who come here. We have had such a great staff,” Dan and Melody said, echoing each other.
Dan will train with Sam before the couple leaves. Once the business is handed off completely, the next time the couple comes in, it will be as customers. They will be back home in a place where they spent 36 years with lots of good memories and made good friends. Only this time, they will be served, and not the ones cooking and serving.
Thumbnail History of Blue Water Cafe
Blue Water Café began as Tony’s Eats in the 1940s. Sometime in the 1950s, the restaurant was renamed Du Nord, and it was expanded to add more kitchen and dining room space.
The 1960’s saw the restaurant renamed the El Rae Café. It was remolded with part of the remodel, adding booths.
Michael and Sharon Rusten purchased the El Rae in the 1970s and renamed it Blue Water Café. The couple also owned Cascade Lodge. In 1985, a second level called the Upper Deck was added to increase seating.
Over the last 18 years, the Riddles have made some changes to the restaurant. The Upper Deck was removed and is now a vacation rental. In 2018, the Riddles purchased the Pie Place pie-making equipment and added pies to the menu.
