Littlefork restaurant changes hands

Cleo Anderson, who worked as a waitress at DJ’s for 26 years, purchased the restaurant with her husband Jerry Anderson, a former Littlefork mayor, and renamed it JC’s Restaurant. She will keep the original staff and menu, including the homemade pizza that is so popular around Borderland.

“We would like to thank everyone because the community has been very supportive,” said Cleo Anderson. “Everybody is excited and hoping for a change.”

The Andersons had thought about buying the restaurant for quite a while, said Cleo Anderson. The Joyces were not ready to sell the business when it was initially discussed, and just recently decided they wanted to focus on other things and were ready to sell, she added.

The clientele includes visitors passing through and many Littlefork regulars.

The restaurant serves as a site for a senior meals program, where seniors can get a meal at a lower price. She notes that the meal program may be the only outing that many seniors get each day.

“This is a community center where everybody knows everybody,” said Anderson. “It’s a family place.”

Anderson notes that the Joyces provided their homemade pizza recipe. Making pizza was the first job that Anderson learned as a teenage employee at the restaurant.

“People are wondering if we have the same pizza recipe and we still do,” she added.

The previous owners are also providing their pancake and chicken spice recipes.

“A lot of people like it,” she said.

With few other restaurants in town, Anderson said her customers come for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She said she offers a full menu and has a liquor license.

Anderson said she likes working with her staff and customers and said she is enjoying the management transition. She credits the former owners with retaining the eight staff that help her learn the new responsibilities.

“There are a lot of things that I didn’t know and there are a lot of things to do every day,” she said. “Dan (Joyce) has been very helpful.

“There are a lot more things going on than you would have to think about as a waitress,” she added. “From ordering food and taking care of everything.”

One of the first changes Anderson made was to extend Sunday and Monday hours. The business had been open for lunch those days. She has now added 4-8 p.m. pizza takeout service on Sunday, and extended Monday hours into evenings.

The weekly hours are: Monday to Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4-8 p.m.

“We are working on new menus and are thinking about what more to introduce as soon as we can,” she added.

The Andersons financed the restaurant themselves and are learning the business management side on the job.

“My years of experience has really helped us,” she said. “We were not discouraged by Border State Bank. They have really great people there who are very supportive.”

Anderson said that a lot has happened over her quarter century at the restaurant. She recalls when Joseph Juranitch who portrays “Eric the Viking”, the official mascot of the Minnesota Vikings, was in town to speak at the high school. He came to the restaurant for lunch and was gracious enough to talk and take photos with the customers.

The Anderson’s have three children. Samantha once worked at the restaurant and is now in her second year of college at Bemidji. Carlie will be a senior in high school next year and currently works at the restaurant. Cody will be a freshman in high school next year.

Jerry Anderson continues working for Bergstrom Wood Products and spends his off hours as a handy man around the restaurant and learning more about the business.

“Jerry and I both grew up here and stayed,” she said. “We never left.”

JC’s Restaurant is located at 332 Main Street, Littlefork, and can be reached at 278-6613.