Dang Fine Dine Cafe
Address:306 West Hatting, Luverne, Minn.
Hours:Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday nights from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Closed on weekends.
Biggest seller:Bacon cheeseburger with an egg, $6.50 with a side dish such as french fries or tossed salad.
Call them at:(507) 920-5020
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LUVERNE, Minn.- Vince Gacke has switched from selling restaurant supplies in Luverne to running his own cafe.
For a little more than three years, he has run Dang Fine Dine Cafe. There is no sign out front and customers still call it Vinnie's, because that's what Gacke's former restaurant supply business was called.
He constructed the new building, next door to his restaurant supply shop, because he wanted office space.
"Now it's a diner that seats 50 people," he said. He plans to get back into selling restaurant supplies one day.
The cafe serves breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches and soups.
"It's fresh," Gacke said.
Walking into the cafe is similar to walking into a bar, but there's a grill behind the counter instead of coolers and sinks. Gacke designed it that way on purpose, as a restaurant supply display.He does the cooking in the front of the restaurant and runs the place with the help of two waitresses.
Cooking in the front of the building allows him to visit with customers and helps his reputation as a clean establishment.
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"It forces you to maintain a clean, sanitary facility, which I gladly would do anyway," he said.
A couple tables are up front and some people can sit at the counter, but most dining is in the back of the 1,200 square foot space. Outdoor seating will also be seasonably available.
Breakfast options are traditional fare, including eggs and made-to-order omelettes.
"It's a real simple menu," Gacke said.
Things get more unique at lunch, with egg burgers. Gacke said the taste of a freshly grill-cooked egg on a burger is something people just can't imagine until they try it.
People also like the half-way cajun ranch sauce, which Gacke described as spicy enough to be from Missouri, which is half way to Louisiana and that state's famous hot sauce. The more mild condiment is served on the half-way cajun burger and on chicken. Chicken and onion rings are hand dipped in batter, Gacke said. Sandwiches include chicken and fish.
They have daily specials, but nothing on a set schedule.
Gacke also makes homemade soups with unique names: Dang near gumbo, somewhat stroganoff and a chicken noodless soup. The red-green bean soup is a tomato-based soup with green beans and spices.
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"It's a really nice summer soup, it's light," he said.
Gacke describes his decorations as "funky" with multi-colored circus hues on the outside and a seven- to eight-foot-tall ferris wheel out front to attract attention.
They have a saying: No music, no cook. They play music all day, including tunes from the 1970s and 1980s.
"Some people come for the music, some people come from the food," Gacke said. "...It's part of the place, the atmosphere."
