March 18, 2025

A longtime favorite cafe in Sioux Falls is up for sale while the owner is opening a second cafe in Chester.

Owner Beckie Mettler said she will open Rosie’s Farmhouse probably in May. Mettler purchased the building and equipment of Old Farmhouse Cafe, said Jason Shaw, who owned the Chester cafe with his wife, Jess. Their final day was Feb. 27, but they will continue their catering service and food truck, The Lunchbox.

Rosie’s Cafe has served customers on West Madison Street for more than 41 years. Mettler, daughter of the original owner, assumed day-to-day operations in 2015. The original Rosie moved to Sioux Falls in 1966 after growing up as the daughter of cafe owners in Oldham. She opened her own place in 1984, using her mother’s recipes.

The original cafe is not closing “at this time,” Mettler said, but the family has made “the incredibly difficult decision” to eventually close and has put the business up for sale, according to a post on social media.

The Chester cafe will serve a menu similar to Rosie’s, which is known for its breakfasts and homestyle cooking.

South Dakota Magazine has described Rosie’s Cafe as “a throwback to Main Street diners.”

The local cafe is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays and 7 to 10 a.m. Saturdays.