MARENGO — When David and Kim Straka decided to open their own business, a restaurant and coffee shop seemed the right fit. Both have a background in food service.
And they are both from this part of Iowa, David from Blairstown and Kim from Mt. Vernon.
Today the couple lives near Hannen Lake in Benton County. They opened DK’s Eatery at 1185 Court Ave. on the Marengo square in July.
“When I was younger, I worked at the bar in Amana,” said David. He has worked as a cook at Chi-Chi’s and Denny’s in Cedar Rapids, though most recently he worked for PepsiCo.
Kim worked in the cafeteria at Upper Iowa University and at Rockwell Collins through Wellmark for five or six years, she said. She spent a few years as manager of Dollar General in Cedar Rapids.
The couple had talked about opening a restaurant, but it wasn’t until David’s mother passed away and left them some money that they were able to make it happen.
They thought running their own business would be “kind of nice,” said Kim.
“I kind of like being my own boss,” said David.
David had considered constructing a building for his hog business with the money, but the coffee shop-restaurant won out.
“My hog building can wait a little longer,” said David.
The couple bought a vacant building on Court Avenue with two separate spaces, one for the coffee shop and one for the café.
“This used to be Phat Daddy’s,” said David. But no equipment was left from the pizza place when the Straka’s moved in. “It’s been closed five or six years,” said David. “There was nothing here.”
The Strakas had to buy new and used equipment to get the restaurant going.
“We even had to put in a new vent system and fire suppression,” said Kim. That set them back $40,000.
“I really thought the building was neat,” said David. He refinished the wood floors himself. “We wanted to keep the hardwood,” said Kim, but hiring someone to do it was too expensive.
About 90% of the plumbing and half of the electrical system had to be redone. And the toilets had to be replaced to make them ADA compliant, said Kim.
The renovation took three months, said Kim, and a few things still need finishing up, but the coffee shop and restaurant are open.
The couple is surprised they haven’t been busier. They’ve gotten more customers from out-of-town than they’d expected, but locals don’t seem to know they’re open.
“We do have some signs up,” said David. The window of the restaurant clearly displays its name and daily specials.
“I would think there’d be more people coming in,” said David.
“We put an ad in the paper twice. We’re on Facebook,” said Kim. Daily specials are posted there as well as on the window.
They may have opened during the wrong time of year, said David. During the summer, people are busy, and they grill out, he said.
In the three months they’ve been open, the Strakas have noted what sells and what doesn’t, and they’re revamping their menu.
“We sell a lot of tenderloins,” said David. Burgers and onion rings are popular with customers. “And then, we make a lot of omelets,” David said.
Besides the Strakas, the restaurant employs two waitresses and a backup cook.
“We have parties in here, too,” David said. They’ll rent the coffee shop space for parties, but they don’t rent out the restaurant side anymore. “This side is pretty busy,” said Kim.
The restaurant serves breakfast all day and has expanded its hours at the request of customers. “We were only open until 2 when we first opened,” said Kim.
Now they’re open until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“That’s a 15-hour day for us,” said Kim.
Friday and Saturday, DK’s is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday it’s open for buffet only, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The couple offers carryout if customers call ahead to 319-741-5005.
(This article has been edited to correct the spelling of Phat Daddy’s.)