By Lori Ehde
The serene beauty of quartzite rocks and tall grass prairie once enjoyed by Blue Mound Inn customers may become the private view of Barb and Bob Loosbrock.
The 45-year-old restaurant closed last week, and a local businessman is looking to relocate his business in the Blue Mound Inn building.
If that doesn't happen, the Loosbrocks will convert the spacious restaurant into their new residential dwelling.
The 11,750-square-foot building with vaulted ceilings and expansive windows is too large for a home, but Barb said they're looking at blueprints and making plans.
If they were to live there, the living quarters would occupy what is now the 50-by-90-foot south dining room.
The rest of the space would be utilized for garage, shop and office space.
Whether the building is purchased or becomes a residence, one thing is certain. The days of serving turkey dinners there are over.
Barb purchased the restaurant 27 years ago from Keith and Aldine Madison, who started the business in 1955.
The last day the Blue Mound Inn was open to the public was Dec. 20, and the last private party there was the Tri-State Insurance Company Christmas luncheon on Dec. 22.
Since then various entities in the industry have been buying the restaurant equipment. With her connections in the food service business, Barb said it has been more effective to put the word out than to have a public auction.
Barb sold the Blue Mound Catering Service on Nov. 7. For months prior to that, she'd been considering and looking forward to retirement.
While she won't miss the long hours and responsibilities, she said she'll miss the people.
"I'll miss the customers and the people I worked with," she said.
When the restaurant and catering business were operating daily, the place employed up to 30 people.
In recent years, Barb said she's found it increasingly difficult to hire good employees.
"When we were first open, the only other restaurants open on weekends in Luverne were the Dairy Queen and Tasty Freeze," she said. "When we needed to hire extra help, we'd put out the word, and weÕd have 12 or more show up wanting to be hired."
With many of her full-time employees considering retirement themselves, the hiring situation was a major factor in BarbÕs timing for selling the business.
In addition to missing her work family, Barb said she'll also miss her customers.
With countless tour buses making annual stops at the restaurant, she had the opportunity to serve people from all walks of life. "They were always really nice people," she said.
There are plenty of local people who will miss the Blue Mound Inn as well. In addition to weekly Rotary Club meetings, other large groups such as the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen's Association, the Corn and Soybean Growers and local farm cooperatives all met there for annual meetings and banquets.
Regardless of who came in to enjoy the turkey dinners, Barb said it was always rewarding to help people.
She most looked forward to wedding parties. "Weddings were always a lot of fun - decorating and coordinating arrival times - it was a lot of fun to see what people did to make their wedding the unique wedding."
The serene location of the Blue Mound Inn lent itself to everyday romantic encounters for her customers. "You'd see people steal a little kiss out on the rocks, or you'd see couples sitting on the rocks watching the sun go down," Barb said.
The property hasn't been listed with a Realtor. Different groups and individuals have considered the property for various ventures, but the Loosbrocks know, if it doesn't sell, they'll always have a scenic piece of real estate to make their home.