by Carie Moore
If you live in rural America, a staple in an active community is the local café. The ones with a daily special and slice of dessert every day. The menu hasn’t changed, and the food is always good. They know you by name when you walk in the door. The main table has a dice cup and a never-ending pot of coffee and chatter about the community, the people, the weather, and the crops.
One reason these cafés remain in business is because of agriculture. They are supplied with food provided by farmers and ranchers, but it’s also those farmers and ranchers who are often the regulars day in and out and keep the cafés open.
When something needs to be fixed with the building, when they’re short staffed and need help cleaning a table, when they run out of buns, the rural community steps up and pitches in. When you’re in the field and need a meal, when you are delivering grain to the elevator, when you are fueling the service truck, they are there with a hot meal, fresh cookie, or a cold milkshake.
Many of these cafés see generations come through. These small little store fronts on main street are a landmark and are proud of what they offer people. And they should be. When many other businesses have come and gone, the cafes are still there. You can find out a lot about a small town by stopping in for a meal. The locals will no doubt introduce themselves and ask where you’re from and why you’re in town or if you’re just passing through. During hunting season, the atmosphere will no doubt become a place for tall tales and catching up from the past year.
Food will always bring people together. It’s the love of the land, the production of food, and family farms that keep bringing families, friends, and strangers together in small rural towns.
You probably won’t see anything GMO-free or organic on the menu and the seats may have some tears in the vinyl, but that’s what keeps people coming back. The trust in the quality and quantity of the food, and the feeling you have knowing when your plate is set in front of you, it was cooked like mom or grandma would have made it and makes it a little more personal and special.