June 8, 2022

A popular restaurant has returned to Garretson.

Anne Webber reopened Annie’s in early May after a five-year absence. Now, it’s on the same block as before in a former bowling alley that has been renovated and holds three other businesses.

“I really loved what I did,” said Webber, who worked in food service consulting after closing the restaurant she had operated for 14 years. “Obviously, I wanted to get back into it. … This opportunity came up, and I pretty much thought I’d be silly not to do it.”

Annie’s menu isn’t entirely the same.

“I brought back old favorites and created some new options,” Webber said. “There are a lot of pastries, baked goods, wraps and salads.”

Those old favorites include her cinnamon rolls “that I can’t keep up on,” chicken salad croissants and grilled cheese sandwiches.

“It still amazes me; people say, ‘you make the best grilled cheese.’”

Annie’s has its own branded coffee lineup that includes bags of beans for brewing at home. Some of the names play off of Garretson’s proximity to Palisades State Park, Devils Gulch and Split Rock Park: Campfire Coffee, Canoe Paddler, Palisades Perk and Splitrock Sunrise.

“We’ve expanded our drink lineup,” Webber said of the new menu. “There’s lemonade, fun kids drinks and coffee drinks.”

Annie’s also sells beer and wine and has a “nice selection” of nonalcoholic beer, Webber saId.

Hours for the restaurant at 508 Depot Ave. are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. On Fridays, Annie’s reopens for dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

The dinner menu is simple and includes flatbreads with toppings such as pork with fried onions, chicken pesto with artichoke hearts and sausage with peppers. They’re served on boards made by SplitRock Furniture, which built much of the furniture and decor in the restaurant.

For dinner, Webber also serves a giant soft pretzel with chunks of kielbasa and a cup of beer cheese dip nestled in the knots.

The restaurant seats about two dozen customers, and she plans to add patio seating this month.

“It’s kind of a gathering place,” Webber said. “They’ll see someone’s car here, and they stop.”

Other businesses in the building include The Exercise Place, Downtown Style Salon & Boutique and Storage on Depot.

Mark Cauwee, his wife, daughter and son-in-law own the building and the storage business.

Mark and Lori Cauwee live next door and “got tired of it not getting taken care of with weeds,” he said, so the family bought the building when it went on the market.

They did most of the renovation work themselves. They built the indoor storage units and hoped to find other businesses to fill the space. That included recruiting Webber, who rents one of the storage spaces.

“My wife told her that would make a nice coffee shop,” Cauwee said of the restaurant space.

“Everybody is excited just to get her butt back to town to get baking,” he said. “It’s a great atmosphere.”