The South Shore Cafe and Family Restaurant sits just west of Ashland on U.S. Highway 2, next to the Quality Inn. The business has been open for about a month.
Rick Olivo for the Daily Press
Diners at the newly opened South Shore Cafe and Family Restaurant can watch boats cross Chequamegon Bay while digging into a stack of French toast or a skillet piled with sausage, peppers and onions.
Located along U.S. Highway 2 west of Ashland, the restaurant has been open less than a month but is already building a following for its generous portions, comfort-food menu and relaxed atmosphere, according to cafe manager Tony Mendoza and assistant manager Chloe Cunningham.
“We want this to be more than just a place to grab a meal,” Cunningham said. “We want to be somewhere where people feel comfortable and welcome. We want to build relationships with our customers and a place that people in the community are proud to have.”
The cafe’s owner is Mike Flores of Eau Claire. Mendoza said he jumped at the opportunity when he learned the restaurant building was available.
“We think it’s a beautiful place, and we should give it a shot,” Mendoza said. “So far everything is good, and we believe it will only get better and better. Thanks to the community and all of the people who are helping us, we feel very positive.”
The cafe offers a salad bar, Sunday brunch, and a Friday fish fry. Breakfast options include the South Shore Skillet, made with ham, bacon, sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes, along with chorizo, ham, Mexican, and sausage skillets, plus pancake combos, biscuits and gravy, waffles, and French toast.
The South Shore Cafe and Family Restaurant sits on the scenic shores of Chequamegon Bay. Among the staff are, from left, assistant manager Chloe Cunningham, waitress Cyrena Johnston, and manager Tony Mendoza.
Rick Olivo for the Daily Press
Lunch and dinner menus include club sandwiches, diet dishes, stir-fries, burgers, melts, wraps, pasta dishes, salads, seafood, and a kids’ menu, in addition to the Friday fish fry. Breakfast, lunch and dinner specials will also rotate on a regular basis.
Mendoza and Cunningham said they’re especially proud of their staff.
“We have to make sure we are all on the same page for our customers,” Cunningham said. “We intend to create a great environment that everyone will want to show up to every day.”
The building was originally designed as a formal sit-down restaurant, and its unusually large size for a cafe has become an advantage, Mendoza said.
“It is a big place, and that is why we are here; we have an opportunity to really make it happen,” he said.
Cunningham said the restaurant has already built a steady customer base.
“We’ve got people coming to work, we’ve got people coming from work, on their lunch breaks, and it is great to have the Quality Inn next door, where they can just walk over,” she said.
Both said the portions are generous.
“You better be hungry to come over here and eat,” Mendoza said.
“You are definitely not going to leave hungry,” Cunningham said.
Rick Olivo is a retired, award-winning reporter at the Ashland Daily Press and longtime Ashland resident. Send story ideas and comments to strangebrewer13@gmail.com.
Dining and Cooking