Loreen's Village Cafe returns to downtown Dexter in former Lighthouse Cafe space
Months after downtown Dexter's Lighthouse Cafe closed in February, the restaurant space has found its way back to original owner Loreen McCalla, who plans to open Loreen's Village Cafe by the end of this month.
McCalla owns the building at 8124 Main St. and previously ran a Village Cafe there for six years before selling the business to Steve Varney in 1999. Varney renamed it the Lighthouse Cafe, while McCalla moved to Florida for her semi-retirement.
Now the Dexter native is coming home.
Loreen's Village Cafe, in the former Lighthouse Cafe space in downtown Dexter, will keep the same blue-and-white patriotic color scheme.
Laura Blodgett | For AnnArbor.com
“The last time we were here, we had people lined up out the door,” says McCalla, who feels the Lighthouse owners suffered from a lack of customer service and slightly higher prices.
At the time of the Lighthouse's closing, owners Sandy and Steve Varney said the down economy had taken its toll. They planned to make their catering business full-time.
McCalla says she plans to lower the restaurant's price point to stay competitive. For instance, a third-pound burger will be $3.50 plus $1.50 for a plate of fries.
Since 1999, McCalla has owned three restaurants in Florida with the same name and concept and they have all been very successful, she says.
“Even in this economy, people still want to go out,” she says. “When they can’t afford to go out to the higher places, they can still come out to breakfast.”
She feels her restaurant can easily coexist with the others in downtown Dexter, including A&W and the Dexter Pub.
“They were here when we were here before, and there is room for all of us,” says McCalla, who adds that many people like a family-style restaurant where they can come in with their kids and sit down.
Loreen McCalla previously ran Loreen's Village Cafe in downtown Dexter and is re-opening the restaurant at the end of the month.
Laura Blodgett | For AnnArbor.com
The restaurant will keep the same patriotic decor inside and out, with its familiar white-and-blue exterior. The interior has been upgraded with new carpeting, trim, fans, tables and chairs, and equipment. She also has hired six waitstaff, three cooks and a dishwasher.
When McCalla realized the Lighthouse was going to close, she sold two of her three restaurants in Florida and decided to reopen Loreen’s Village Cafe in the space. “My family and some former staff encouraged me to do it,” says McCalla, who travels between Florida and Dexter several times a year.
Born and raised in Dexter, McCalla graduated from Dexter High School in 1963. She bought the corner building in 1992, which includes five upstairs apartments currently rented, and opened the restaurant a year later.
The restaurant will reopen by Memorial Day, which is marked with a popular parade in downtown Dexter.
“We will have a great Memorial Day with a great patriotic restaurant,” says McCalla.
Laura Blodgett is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Shelly Vrsek
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 : 3:17 a.m.
I was horrified the minute I walked in with my family, and I should have walked out then. But I had very hungry kids, and sometimes anything looks better than the trauma that ensues when you pull them out of a restaurant! This restaurant is not appropriate for Dexter. I am embarrassed that it is part of our community, and I was embarrassed to be sitting in it. I was uncomfortable while eating in the restaurant the whole time. It was so noticable to my 7 year old, that I had to explain to her that I respect most beliefs, but I don't like them shoved down my throat with my bad coffee and poorly cooked eggs. Offensive t-shirts, religious pamphlets and awful xenophobia everywhere, which they attribute to supporting the soldiers. I know some soldiers that would be very ashamed of them. I was ashamed of me because they got my money this morning. Never again.
dexter42
Mon, Aug 29, 2011 : 2:22 p.m.
Brandishing anti-obama, tea party slogans is not patriotism - only partisanship. They have the right to their opinions but clearly show what is wrong in america when they call it patriotism to attack a political view. I think the promilitary decor is fine, if done poorly. The Lighthouse had reasonable homemade food, too bad Loreen's can't match it and goes for just cheap.
Em Winfield
Tue, Aug 2, 2011 : 1:22 p.m.
I enjoyed visiting the Lighthouse every couple of weeks. I never noticed the "high" price, because my food always tasted good and the waitresses were all smiles. The first day I saw Loreen's, however, I was shocked. That restaurant's so-called "patriotism" makes me ill. I'm hosting a Japanese exchange student this fall, and I certainly know where we WON'T be taking her for breakfast. Sorry, Loreen, but I'm not an American exceptionalist.
maidendetroit
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.
Loreen is an overbearing drunk that treats her employees like garbage. I've seen it first hand. I couldn't believe my ears. And I'm surprised that one of them hasn't back handed her into next week. Just Sayin......
Above AvgCitizen
Sun, Jun 5, 2011 : 4:21 p.m.
I might be able to overlook an aggressive patriotic decor if the food was good - but we aren't looking for a lower price point, we are looking for decent food. Sorry, I know Gordon's Food Service aka K-ration style food when I eat it - bleck. What happened to fresh squeezed OJ, eggs from the farmer down the road, home-made biscuits and a few other basics? I know that this level of quality would probably cost more than the current $2.98 special -- but God Bless America, I'd pay for it! Maybe a little less time spent on the extreme patriotism (This is a restaurant right? For anyone with money right? Or is it only for Americans? with Bibles? and Guns?), and little more time on quality food would have better served the re-launch of Loreen's. Yesterday's breakfast left me feeling like a healthy dose of propaganda had been shoved down my throat, but not much else; however, the restaurant was cleaner.
CoolDexter
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 3:06 a.m.
Couldn't agree more, ilovedexter. We wish Loreen all the best, but this doesn't sound promising. My family visited the Lighthouse twice. That was enough. It'd be generous to say the food was mediocre. The menu could have been transported whole cloth from any diner or truckstop. The french toast appeared to be made from Wonder Bread. Equally bad was the decor. I've seen more modern looking church rec rooms. But that was Lighthouse. What's worrisome now is Loreen's comment that she needs to lower prices to stay competitive. Really? In this economy, I could imagine Terry B's saying that. But isn't a restaurant like Loreen's already competing at the bottom of the dining category ? Restaurants like hers really need to compete on something other than price. How about a great menu? With higher quality dishes? And a charming and comfortable environment? I hope that interior photo above is a work in progress - my wife took one look and it and said, "That doesn't look like a restaurant. It looks like a VFW hall." Also: Loreen mentions Dexter's population growth - but that's not even news anymore. My family is "new" to Dexter, and we've already been here 7 years. Dexter isn't the same place it was when we first arrived - plenty of people here expect more from their restaurants now. Someone mentioned earlier that we should just go to Ann Arbor. Guess what? We do! And until there's a better breakfast/lunch option in Dexter, we'll keep going there. Heck, it's only 15 minutes up the road...
ilovedexter
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 5:06 p.m.
We went to the Lighthouse Cafe once and never ever went back...food and service was terrible and the decor inside and out was completely outdated. I hope Loreen can move with the times and give the place a complete overhaul...very disappointed to hear she's keeping the gaudy facade intact though...however patriotic, it's also a complete eyesore to Dexter's downtown and will not help in shaking the reputation of the run down Lighthouse Cafe. With more sophisticated eateries such as Red Brick moving in it would be nice to see a more contemporary space and menu in Loreen's new place...I wish her luck.
lakelover
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 12:40 a.m.
I think Loreen has much experience in restaurants and knows how to give great customer service and runs a clean establishment. I believe that is why all of her restaurants have been successful. I believe the decor in her restaurants is not right-winged Christian propaganda, but pure love of country patriotism. She gives discounts to servicemen, policemen, and firefighters, and is proud to be an American. I applaud her for that, and I hope Dexter does too.
PLGreen
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
Glad to see Loreen is back; customer service and a friendly face will also be back. Something that has been lacking for a very long time at the Lighthouse. Also I have to beleive that the place will once again be CLEAN.
RuralMom
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 7:32 p.m.
It wasn't the bridge rebuidling or the decor of the place, it was the way the place was run that kept us from frequenting the Lighthouse Cafe. Will give it another try once the new place is up and going! Customer Service rules, if you don't have that it doesn't matter what you charge, people will not requent your establishment.
Potato Chip
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.
The decor in there is scary if you are not a gun-loving, right-wing, fundamentalist Christian American. I don't like businesses shoving their political agendas down the throats of the customers. I will stick to Alpha Coney Island for my breakfast outings.
Major
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 2:35 a.m.
Good! Go back to Ann Arbor then!
fjord
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 1:36 p.m.
I went to Lighthouse once in 1999 and that experience provided no incentive for me to ever return. Hopefully this new venture will be an improvement in every respect.
Mary-Ellen Miller
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 1:34 p.m.
In all fairness, the VERY prolonged construction on the bridge causing significant detouring of traffic caused problems for all of the downtown businesses shouldn't just be brushed aside as another contributing factor to the Varney's problems. Their BBQ was great, but who wanted to struggle that hard to get there?
Major
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 2:34 a.m.
I don't agree with the bridge thing, it was a pain, but never stopped me from doing anything at all in downtown Dexter. The place was a dive, pure and simple.
slug
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 12:13 p.m.
It wasn't necessarily the price being higher that kept us from coming back recently, but the low quality of food and poor service. I'm glad to see the new place coming - may it thrive!