Article Photos

Advertisement

MAKOTI A Minot native who loves to cook has teamed up with the Makoti Development Corp. to reopen the Makoti Cafe. The cafe, which had been closed for a year, revived operations Oct. 12.

Michael Carlsten, former manager at Denny's in Minot, is running the restaurant, open six days a week. Carlsten said the menu and the hours could change in the future to serve the wishes of the public, but for now, the Makoti Cafe is offering breakfast and lunch Sunday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cafe also is open Friday evenings from 4 to 9 p.m.

Carlsten said he hopes to expand the customer base and provide another option for hunters, oil workers and area residents. Makoti's location just south of N.D. Highway 23 should help generate some traffic, he said.

People who liked Denny's will appreciate the food because Carlsten brings the cooking skills honed with his former employer. Breakfast, especially eggs, and soups are his specialties. When not cooking or waiting on customers, Carlsten is studying recipe books for potential new menu items.

"It's been fun," he said. "I do homemade specials, I do daily specials. Sometimes breakfast specials."

As the sole employee, Carlsten handles all aspects of running the cafe. He said his experiences at Denny's prepared him for the job.

He also has a background in customer service, having worked in retail for five years and for the Holiday Inn for six years before joining Dennys.

He said he enjoys the Makoti Cafe because the atmosphere is laid-back. He also is able to spend more time with his young daughter, who lives in Makoti. His daughter's mother and her family have helped out at the cafe. It was through those contacts that Carlsten learned about the development corporation's hunt for a cafe manager. He asked the development corporation for a tour of the building.

"That started the ball rolling. Before you know it, they were taking it really seriously," he said. The encouragement from the community prompted him to take on the cafe.

"Everybody was really excited," he said.

He stepped into a building that needed new plumbing, a new heating system and new food coolers. But in the five days from the time he left Denny's until the cafe opened, the corporation and Carlsten accomplished a lot of work.

The feedback since opening has been positive, Carlsten said. Area residents have appreciated having a cafe again, and Carlsten likes the town's slower pace and the area's hunting and fishing.

"I definitely like the small-town life," he said. "It's a great community."