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The Dairy Bar has been a fundamental part of the city of Thorp for
years, but after being juggled around for a few, things started to fall
apart. It was when Kristi Bunnell took over as the restaurant’s
owner, that The Dairy Bar reclaimed its spot in Thorp’s lineup of great
businesses, and from the looks of it, it is here to stay.
Kristi
Bunnell, a graduate of Stanley-Boyd High School, had years of experience
working with different aspects of the food business, including working
for Drangles and LaGrander’s Hillside Dairy. It was when she was a
waitress at The Dairy Bar that she became extremely attached to the
business. “I fell in love with the customers,” Bunnell said.
“They are like family.”
It was this affection toward the
clientele and the dedication to the restaurant that brought her to begin
noticing that the cafe was not living up to the standards that she saw
were possible. Bunnell discussed taking over the restaurant with
the landlord, took the necessary state tests, and worked her way into
taking over as the manager.
With a lot of help from the staff,
Bunnell moved into cleaning up and refurbishing The Dairy Bar, still
keeping the old-time charm that it already held. Putting in new
black and white checkered floors and new vintage upholstery on the seats
of the booths, things began to really shape up for the long-running
café. Adding to the old-time feel, framed antique photos of the
city of Thorp were hung on the walls. The only photo that was not
strictly city landscape is a picture of the original owner and an
original waitress of The Dairy Bar, Myrtle Babbitt.
Bunnell also
revamped the menu, bringing in some new and old recipes with an
occasional piece of advice from Myrtle Babbitt. With all the
changes she has made, Bunnell puts a lot of focus on keeping some of the
best qualities of the restaurant the same including the quality of the
food served. Offering a large quantity of homemade items, such as
her soups, cookies, and pies, Bunnell concentrates on keeping things
fresh. “It makes a difference,” said Bunnell about her homemade
soup. “I even get orders for a gallon of it from hunters to take
hunting with them.”
The aesthetic qualities and the menu are
only a portion of the great features that The Dairy Bar offers under the
watchful eye of Kristi Bunnell. She has turned a little café into a
routine home to a crew of everyday customers. “You know where they
are if they aren’t here, and if you don’t, you worry,” Bunnell said
about her Dairy Bar family that she refers to as The Dairy Bar Crew.
“I could be having the worst day and they get me going. That’s why I’m
still here,” said Bunnell.
Much like any conventional family,
Bunnell throws the group birthday celebrations along with a daily
allotment of playful teasing which she often is returning from a lively
customer. When asked what makes the restaurant so successful, she
replied, “Becoming their friends keeps the loyalty. Visiting with
them, listening to them, joking around with them, it all helps.”
Bunnell thinks a lot about keeping the community members
laughing, but she also thins about keeping them safe. She extended
her restaurant hours, opening at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings for the
shift that she refers to as “the bar rush.” Keeping intoxicated
patrons off the streets, Bunnell opens her doors every weekend,
sacrificing her own Saturday nights. “It lets them wind down and
keeps them in here rather than driving,” Bunnell said.
Another
part of the recent success under Kristi Bunnell is the support of other
local businesses. Bunnell mentioned the Sun Up Saloon and Cindy’s
as two of many businesses that have helped keep things running at The
Dairy Bar. With respect to the other businesses in town, Bunnell
stays informed about other restaurants’ menus. “It’s a courtesy
thing,” said Bunnell. “If one restaurant has a taco special one
day, I’m not going to run the same thing. I refuse to compete.”
With all that she has done with the Dairy Bar, Bunnell has helped
return the little off-the-map café back into a dominant part of Thorp’s
daily life. When asked about the future of the Dairy Bar and her
part in it, Bunnell replied, “I plan on staying. As long as
they’ll have me, I plan on staying.”
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