Nov. 21, 2023

A longtime gathering spot west of Colton for farm families has new owners.

Justin and Tina Kjellsen bought the Buffalo Trading Post from Pud and Shirley Olson, who took over the restaurant and bar in 1988.

Since 1927, it has sat on the southwest corner of Highway 19 and 248th Street, surrounded by fields, pastures and waterfowl production areas. Years ago, it also was a gas station.

The Kjellsens, who also own Big J’s Roadhouse in Humboldt and Harrisburg and the South Bar in Hartford, took over in late summer. The business was closed from mid-July to mid-October while the deal closed and they did some updating for insurance purposes, Justin Kjellsen said.

That didn’t include the decor because Kjellsen wants to keep the rustic charm.

“I look at it this way: It’s a diamond in the rough. The wheel has been running, and sometimes you need to grease the spindle, and that’s what we’re going to do. … I don’t want to polish it up too much,” he said. “I want it to be comfortable.”

The Olsons are still working in the business along with other longtime employees, Kjellsen said.

“Pretty much everybody stayed on,” he said. “Shirley said she was going to retire, but I think Shirley came with the building. … Shirley comes over every morning and opens the door, and the farmers come in and have coffee.”

Buffalo Trading Post is open for lunch and dinner most days. The Kjellsens haven’t changed the menu.

“We’re rocking and rolling with it the way it is,” Kjellsen said. That includes burgers, tacos and the popular fried pickles with homemade ranch.

“They’re famous for cheeseburgers here. It’s basically just good old bar food.”

It’s so good that Kjellsen, who grew up in Franklin and went to school in Chester, and his friend Jeremy Lindner would “steal” the 1961 Catalina out of his parents’ yard so they could drive to the Buffalo Trading Post for burgers.

“We always thought they didn’t know, but they did,” he said of his parents.

A daily lunch special comes with a fountain drink for $11. Tuesdays are taco night with $1.50 tacos. Thursdays are featured burger nights, with offerings like the Peanut Butter Surprise, which has peanut butter, bacon and dill pickle chips, or the Ball Park Burger with a hot dog, fries and cheese sauce on top of the patty. Fridays are prime rib night.

Kjellsen said he’ll likely expand the menu in another year or two. He said broasted chicken would be a great addition for the community.

Buffalo Trading Post has always served beer, but Kjellsen just secured the only remaining liquor license in Minnehaha County for it. He said it’s the first time in its history to serve something stronger to drink than a beer.

Buffalo Trading Post opens at 11 a.m. daily except for Mondays when it’s closed. It closes at 2 p.m. Wednesday, and it’s open until 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“We’re really blessed to be part of it and carry on the tradition,” Kjellsen said. “The changes we make will be for the better for the community.”