Local Buzz

The buzz around town is the need for a coffee shop, and the Featured Restaurant For Sale in Richland Center Wisconsin is an excellent location for a new restaurant.  The space is fabulous and the community is ready to support one.  Imagine a coffee shop with a fast casual grill providing a gourmet carry out or dine in menu selection.  The coffee shop grill can also offer a full line of craft beer and specialty wine as this location has a Class B & C beer and wine liquor license.  This location is perfect for a micro brew as Richland Center is located near hop growers and many certified organic farms.   All it takes is the right person with the right energy and they would corner a unique market in down town Richland Center.  Besides this unique opportunity, Richland Center is the County Seat and it's near by yogurt factory, Schreiber Foods, is the nations largest producers of private label yogurt in the U.S.  When you eat your delicious yogurt it most likely came from Richland Center.  Not far away, about 30 minutes west is Organic Valley Foods.  In addition to the health food movement is a macrobiotic cookie factory called GoMacro located in the nearby village, Viola.  Richland Center is your place to start your food service business!

Schreiber Foods Expanding in Richland Center Wisconsin

It's always good news to hear about business expanding in the community, especially if you own and operate a business near by.  Even more so if you are a retailer or restaurant.  Schreiber Foods is in the neighborhood of our Featured Restaurant For Sale downtown Richland Center and it's growth is a strong boost for this local economy.  Recently Schreiber Foods was featured on the Wisconsin State Journal,  Read more here

Room To Expand

With a full basement of 3000 square feet and a nine foot ceiling, imagine what can be done to generate more income.  The thought of a banquet hall or lounge is what pops in everybody's mind when they see this magnificent space.  Even if it was only half, the other remaining half can be made into more income space.  It could be an extra kitchen to service the lounge or banquet hall but also a commercial kitchen for creating product, such as, canning private label salsa's or bakery goods.  There is such a growing need for commercial kitchens that can private label and package on a small scale in this area, not to mention branding your own products to sell. 

Restaurant vs. Retail? Consider This...

Thinking Commercial Retail or Restaurant?  Consider this...if you need financial assistance, a loan, what do banks want to see...income! If it's based on an idea, you need a plan.  Restaurant vs. Retail?  Why choose one over the other, combine them for foot traffic and appeal.

 

Restaurant loans are hard to get but if you can show a bank that its more than restaurant income, the plan, you have a better chance of getting a loan. Here's a way you can have your cake (to sell) and eat it too. 

 

The Featured Restaurant For Sale is 3000+ square feet of money making space. Imagine having two income producing venues, restaurant dining in the back half and retail up front both sharing a nice entrance with municipal parking in back and Main Street traffic and street parking up front. Visitors to the restaurant see the retailer with gifts, novelties, specialty foods, jewelry or art gallery and much more and of course visitors to the retailer can enjoy a bite to eat. If your loan, taxes and insurance amounted to $1500 per month, one unit in this building can cover the other with rental income, something banks like to see.

 

We know how successful this concept is with General Stores, touristy areas with eateries and gift shops or restaurants like Cracker Barrel. This would be an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneur and an exciting new business, a gift shop restauant for Richland Center. Of course, two businesses, two sources of income...now that's money in the bank!

bob@mwt.net

Great opportunity for culinary students, chefs, or restaurant owner to develop organic food service in an area known for organic farms and healthy living.  Attractive building with spacious kitchen layout. This restaurant is a jewel in Southwestern Wisconsin located in Richland Center, the birthplace of Frank Lloyd Wright and Verizon telephone.  Close to major cities and charming neighboring villages and towns.   Richland Center community is hungry for talented food service owners.  Plenty of outdoor recreation.  Fishing, camping, water sports, biking, camping.  Read more on this blog's Restaurant Opportunity.   Email inquires, bob@mwt.net.

Featured Restaurant: Richland Center

  
Known for it's beautiful interior layout and it's downtown Main Street visibility and location, this restaurant is considered one of Richland Center's most prime and attractive destinations for dining. Formally known and successfully run for fourteen years as Fiesta Fe until retirement.

 

Amenities & Structural Features Include:

• 3000 square feet main level restaurant dining and kitchen, ADA compliant.
• Solid oak doors and oak trim custom milled and hand made from locally harvested wood.
• Solid oak traditional tables custom hand made from wood harvested locally. 
• Tin cove molding ceiling accents in front dining room. Oak trim and large oak baseboard with cap molding, custom milled to replicate traditional style molding.
• Water boiler and dedicated radiant heat in front dining room with cast iron reconditioned radiators including, 2 HVAC power units for zoned heat and air conditioning through out. Front window dining room radiators prevent window condensation and keep window and sills dry.  Note: with many commercial building codes, traditional radiant heat is rare.  Hence, the hard to find window radiators were salvaged from Chicago and fully reconditions to match existing radiators. A very special touch to the classic ambiance.  Customer appreciated.
• Textured plaster walls with picture moldings, track lighting and panel fans.
• Large front display dining room windows for natural lighting with classic transom window above.
• Three 4X4 skylights for natural lighting and ambiance.
• Maple hardwood dining room flooring and ceramic tile.
• Centrally located bathrooms handicap accessible.
• Large dedicated dish washing area with pass through window
• Clean open kitchen, separate prep kitchen near dish washing room.
• 16 foot stainless exhaust hood suspended from I-beam truss and accessible for cleaning
• 12 foot ceilings on main floor and 9 foot ceilings in full large 3000 square foot open basement with 4 foot reinforced stairway for heavy deliveries.
• Basement storage area with separate storage room or office. Walk-In refrigerator located in basement.
• Two separate 120/240 amp. disconnects for separate electrical panels. 3 separate circuit breaker panels. 3 phase electrical for specific restaurant equipment if needed.
• Back door attractive entrance, handicap accessible to patio and municipal parking lot

Special Area Attractions

Within One City Block:

• Housing apartments
• Super markets
• Banks
• Gas Station
• Retailers, book store, apparel, art gallery, Floral.
• Movie theater
• Furniture store, antique stores, Bridle Shop
• Organic Food Cooperative
• Clinics
• Insurance
• Social Services
• Vet Clinic
• Offices, law, accounting, investment, tax service
• Chamber Of Commerce
• Bowling alley
   
  Within Five City Blocks
• County Court House
• City Municipal Building & Police Station
• Fire Department Garage
• 3 additional banks
• Churches
• Butter Making factory
• Deans Foods and Dairy
• Foremost Dairy
• Pro Builder Lumber
• Eye Clinic
• 2^nd Vet Clinic
• Historic City Auditorium
• Frank Lloyd Wright architecture,  AD German Warehouse
• Richland Electric Cooperative
   

Surrounding Area Attractions & Services    
 

• Regional Richland Hospital
• Headquarters to the regional Neighborhood Housing Services
• University of Wisconsin Extension with campus auditorium, student housing
• Large Community Center near out door swimming pool and Krouskop park
• Symons Recreational Complex with indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, weights and machines. John and Edith Symons donated the funds to build this complex.
• Out door theater, Starlite 14 Drive-In, founded in 1953 remains one of 11 operating in the state.
• Municipal airport and club offering flying lessons
• Large modern High School
• Updated infra structure with new gutters and sidewalks. Main Street completed early 2002
• City outline area, mall and main stores are destinations within 35 mile radius
• Industrial park, MPC industry and specialty sign ship, fabricators and services
• Fairgrounds, many clubs and organizations.
• Kayak and trout fishing on Pine River, bike trails and beautiful scenic hills and farmland.
• Sanctuary for Nature Lovers, Bee keepers, Gardeners, Hobby Farms, Artists, Writers, Doctors, Scholars, Bird watchers, Preppers, Entrepreneurs, Weekenders, Travelers, Investors, Retired CEO's and Celebrities incognito.

Demographics
 

• Southwestern Wisconsin 60 miles west of State Capital, Madison, 50 miles east of La Crosse approximately 250 miles from Milwaukee, Chicago, Twin Cities
• Close to nationally known manufacture SS Cycle and Organic Valley
• Approximately 18,000 inhabitants in Richland County, 5000 inhabitants in Richland Center.
• Per capita income statistics does not show true wealth in the area from "outside" sources.
• Many banking institutions including locally owned Richland County Bank, est. 1881, considered among the lowest in loan defaults according to the "Texas Ratio" and receives an excellent rating in its banks core capitalization ratio, according to comparative banking analysis.  Attractive to many depositors from outside, it is the "Swiss bank" among US banks thanks to founding family and bank president, philanthropist, visionary and community leader, Judy Davis.  Recently completed, estimated two million dollar addition.  Neighbor to this restaurant.

Nitty-Gritty

Richland Center and surroundings is considered politically conservative with liberal tendencies.  It was host to President George W Bush in 2004 and President John F. Kennedy in 1959 during campaigns.  Though many shops and stores are gender shared it is not male dominated.  On the contrary, it is female consistent with more women in public service, owning, operating and managing business in Richland Center.  Public records reveal, as previously stated, Richland County Bank, President Judy Davis, including Harlan's Furniture, owner, Linda Harlan, Wallace, Cooper and Elliot Insurance, owner Sheila Troxel, Fiesta Fe, retired owner Faye Urbina, Richland Observer Newspaper, Dawn Kiefer, writer and editor,  Ocooch Books and Libations, entrepreneur founder former owner partner Jodee Hosmanek, The Ocooch Mountain Humane Society, women founders, Ladd's Furniture and Antiques, Tracy Ladd owner partner, Former African American UW Richland Campus Dean, Dr. Deborah Cureton, Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge, Ann Bradly,  and the list goes on.  This Southwestern region in Wisconsin is incredibly attractive.  From banks to frame store, restaurants to public office, no wonder Richland Center is the birthplace of Wisconsin Women Suffrage and visited by Susan B Anthony 1886 and later by Ada James, cofounder of the Political Equality League in 1909.  In this writers opinion, Richland Center is a significant tourist destination in Wisconsin given the history and heritage of the community.

Richland Center is the county seat . A strong wholesome farming community that has an intrinsic wealth of opportunity based on it's location along Hwy 14, it's heritage, history and influx of "outside" interest.  The restaurant, formally Fiesta Fe, was visited by public figures and celebrities, senators, congressman, supreme court justice, University Chancellors and Deans, as well as statesman and foreign dignitary’s as far away as Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. It's location is known as a destination in Richland Center and a favorite place for travelers, farmers, nurses and teachers as well as spiritual shamans, scholars, decorated military veterans, scientist, writers, actors, musicians and artists.

When Richland Center had it's annual music festival, this was one restaurant that provided food to the musicians and staff.   Founding publisher and writers of the satire magazine, The Onion, dine at this restaurant when visiting their hometown. Actor, Johnny Depp's film crew dined there while scouting locations for the movie, Public Enemies. Members of the Frank Lloyd Wright family dine there while visiting the architects birthplace and home studio at Taliesin, in Spring Green, home of American Player's Theater, APT. Svetlana Alliluyeva, Joseph Stalin's daughter, frequently dined at this restaurant and was incognito and unrevealed by customers when a German paparazzi film crew boldly set up cameras to film her there. She sat among diners while the camera crew graciously interviewed customers for a “documentary” while they sought her out unsuccessfully. She was protected by customers who knew her from the time she moved to the Richland Center area escaping her tyrannical father and Soviet Union Russia, her homeland.

Richland Center is home to Wisconsin State Senator, Dale Schultz and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Ann Brady. Many homesteader in this area are retired CEO's and cyber entrepreneurs who work from home. Areas in Northwest Richland County had high speed internet fiber optics when most metropolitan areas still had dial up. Richland Center is the birthplace of Verizon when it started as General Telephone & Electric, GTE. Richland Center and the surrounding area is the prime scenic secret for investors looking for weekend getaways, property, hunting land, hobby farms and recreation. It's beautiful terrain, deep hidden valleys, hardwood forest, rivers and trout streams, rocky bluffs and rolling farmland is a major attraction for those who have an adventurous spirit.

This restaurant and it's location is a jewel and is priced below its potential value. Owned by a highly respected women from Illinois, well received in Richland Center, Ophelia Urbina, also known as Faye, fell in love with Richland Center and it's down to earth community; this restaurant was custom built by her son.  Faye, was praised for her dedication to food service hospitality and philanthropic work. She owned and operated restaurants in the Fox Valley area of Illinois. This was her last restaurant before she retired at age 74 after seven years at this location. Fiesta Fe operated for six more years until Serna Brother's Restaurant started June 1^st 2013. This was a profitable restaurant when it was only opened for lunch and dinner six days a week and closed all holidays “so my staff and I can enjoy spending Sunday's and holiday's with family”. Faye cared more about her staff spending time with their family than scheduling them on some of the most profitable holidays. She enjoyed using the restaurant for fund raisers and other charitable work.  She was among the female entrepreneurs and leaders that seem to gravitate to this area.

This restaurant is located in the heart of the geographical Driftless area and known for its organic farming, hunting and trout fishing.   It can be used as rental income from the existing tenants or prepared for the launch of a great restaurant that can capture Main Street in Richland Center.

What's Needed (recommendations)

This sophisticated cross cultural,  unpretentious community, with many outside monetary and retirement resources is looking for visionary energetic individuals with fresh ideas and interest in organics, local sustainable agriculture, restaurant food classes, entertainment and community events.  DELIVERIES NEEDED; Local food deliveries to offices, retailers, court house (county jail catering, one block away, annual contract) and factories, (Allen Bradly Rockwell International provides kitchen for local restaurant caterers, annual contract),  numerous factories and community service organization need caterers.  Many fundraising events looking for restaurant participation.  Restaurant with bakery goods, yogurts and health related foods.  This restaurant's large basement provides space for expansion.  An auxiliary kitchen can be added for private label canning and packaging for restaurant merchandising.  This restaurant has been in operation for fourteen years with strong community support and can flourish with the right ideas, motsy and team work. 

Love It? 
For more information contact Bob at makerspalate@gmail.com or call 608-408-0408.