Stanley Cafe - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Stanley Cafe

Our oil series continues tonight as we look at a family owned business is Stanley.
Jordan Pederson shows us just how they are keeping up with the hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the western part of the state.

Few old-fashioned home cooking restaurants remain, but that's exactly what you get when you order at Joyce's Cafe in Stanley.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "We kind of grew up to the McDonalds age and we try to do more home cooking here."
But it hasn't been easy to keep to the old ways.
Rice's Grandparents owned the cafe back in the 1970's."
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "I grew up in this restaurant. I started off washing dishes when I was 12 years old. My grandparents had a very good business."
But business was different back then.
Gone are they days of just coffee and cookies.
Now it is a full service cafe.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "When I talk to my grandma about exactly what we are doing here, she can't believe what is going on. I mean we are busy pretty much all day."
Rice and his wife can't do it alone.. but one of the biggest challenges is staffing.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "The hardest thing right now is keeping up with the oil field and making sure we are staffed up right."
It's not finding staff that is hard.
It is finding affordable housing to keep the staff in town.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "They can't afford the rent here is one of the other big issues too. I don't think that affordable housing is going to settle in for another five or six years."
With the cafe running out of space, Rice has considered moving to a location with more room but a valid point keeps him from pursuing this option.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "The thing that you have to ask yourself, if we can't keep this restaurant staffed, how are we going to keep the other one staffed?"
Rice has added items to the menu to accommodate the variety of tastes from different parts of the country.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "Jalenpenos is one of the biggest ones we've had. My grandparents never dealt with jalapeno before. Green peppers is another one."
But that's as far as Rice plans to spice up the menu.
After all, the classic burger and made-to-order sandwich are the staples of Joyce's cafe.  
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "Ok this is what we really are. We've adapted to some things and some things we are just doing to stay the same at."
Not only is the cafe busy on the inside... traffic outside is just as demanding.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "Some people can't get into this restaurant because the main street is just so full."
As the owner, Rice puts in long hours.
(Cory Rice, Owner, Joyce's Cafe) "Owning your own business is, it is a good thing. I find it to be very rewarding. Yeah, I think it is worth it, I really do."
In Stanley, Jordan Pederson, KX News.