Coil takes over Porter Cafe
Doug Coil of Canby took over operations of the Porter Cafe in November and is excited about his new endeavor.
"I love it," he said. "I enjoy the customers and I want them to enjoy coming here."
Coil comes to the downtown cafe in Porter with a myriad of experience in the food industry. He has done everything from serving school lunches, to working in several restaurants as a busboy, dishwasher, cook, and assistant manager in Canby, Montevideo, Granite Falls and Lake Cochrane, SD.
Coil and a business partner considered taking over the Porter Cafe a few years ago when the city was looking for someone to lease the building and take over as a business owner.
"We were really thinking about it then, but it didn't work out," Coil said. "When I heard it was available again, I was working at State Line Bar & Grill in Lake Cochrane and I decided I wanted to run my own place. I've brought a little bit of everything that I've learned from the places I've worked."
Coil has five employees working for him, including his son, Dustin, who lives in Willmar and makes the 80-mile drive to help out every other weekend.
The cafe is generally packed on Sunday mornings for breakfast with customers coming from Porter, Canby, Taunton and Minneota. Coil has added a countryside skillet dish to his breakfast menu and it has become popular with locals. The reasonably-priced skillet includes two eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage. "I make my own pancake batter, too," he said, proudly.
Coil also has added beef and turkey commercials to the menu, another popular item with his customers. He also offers homemade soups, and homemade caramel and cinnamon rolls.
"Excellent food," said one customer who frequents the Porter Cafe. "Doug is a great cook and the prices are really reasonable."
Coil is also working on adding catering and a Meals on Wheels program in the future.
The Porter Cafe is open seven days a week and offers a senior discount. On Sundays through Thursdays, it is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays it is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
"We might eventually be open for supper hours during the week," Coil said.