The old building on Main Street that used to be home to the Blue Waters and many other eating and drinking establishments over the years has come back to life again. It reopened Monday, April 16, reincarnated this time as Lu’s Cafe & Catering. Luann Zirbes of Richmond is the new owner, and she’s operating it as a smoke-free business for the first time. The actual address is 53 Oak Ave. S. "It’s going to be a challenge. It’s not going to be easy," she said last week. "But what in life is, except for the lucky dog who wins the Power Ball." Zirbes, 47, said she plans to stay a long time. Bruce Lenzen, Zirbes’ brother, turned the lights out and closed the Blue Waters Family Restaurant in early January after nearly four years. Zirbes had worked there as a hostess and waitress, and she decided to reopen the cafe with two other brothers. Jeff Lenzen lives in Minneapolis and Stewart Lenzen lives in IndiaAtlantic, Fla., she said, but he wants to move back to Minnesota and help out with the cafe. Asked why she bought the place, Zirbes said: "Because I loved it. I love the people and the town." She missed the customers during the two months the restaurant was closed, Zirbes said. "To make somebody smile when they’re having a bad day is the best gift of all." The new owners have redecorated the dining room with new paint, carpet, tile and window trim and replaced some equipment. "It’s so nice to be smoke free," Zirbes, a non-smoker, said. "I think it’s going to happen anyway," she explained her decision to ban smoking. "I just was getting ready for it. As long as I was starting new I might as well start that." The area’s state lawmakers have said they expect the Legislature to pass a statewide smoking ban, at least for restaurants, during this session, which ends in May. Customers have accepted the no-smoking policy, Zirbes said. "They just don’t sit and linger as long as they used to." People, both young and old, have told her they like the ban, while no one has said they don’t like it. "I feel people who stopped coming here because of the smoke are coming back, so that’s nice." She described Lu’s new menu as "just home cooked, from scratch." "Our stuffed hash browns is really good," she said, and the hot turkey and hot beef sandwiches are popular.
Still to come are the installation of a salad bar and the return of Sunday brunch, Zirbes said. "We are doing a Mothers Day brunch." Barber Jerry Brose, who has been taking his morning coffee break for years at whatever cafe was there, said he’s glad to see it reopen. "Oh gosh yes," he said. "Anything we can keep on Main Street we need it." The Rainbow Cafe Brose recalled when the Rainbow Cafe, a beer bar and restaurant, occupied that space in the early 1950s. It was run by sisters Evelyn and Wilma Cochrane and their brother Larry. According to businessman Bud Garthe, the Rainbow was sold to Ray Schieber about 1969 and became Ray’s Bar. "I bought it in 1975," Garthe said. He renamed it Bernie’s Bar & Grill and operated it until 1981 when he started Bernatello’s Pizza in Maple Lake. Garthe sold the place to Rich and Carla Cargill, who ran Ricardo’s Bar & Grill there until 1987. Garthe got the property back, remodeled it and opened Poopsie’s Pizza Plus for about six years before selling to Dale Kirkpatrick in 1993. He changed the name to Stanley’s Restaurant and ran it until May 2001 when he sold to Kelly Cruikshank of Maple Lake. She and her husband, Harnanan Heeralall, operated the Annandale Cafe there until Christmas 2002 before closing. Bruce Lenzen opened the Blue Waters Family Restaurant in March 2003.