‘We’ll wait for you’: Community support fuels cafe comeback
By Pepper Purpura
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — In a town of just over 300 people, a restaurant is more than a place to eat.
It’s where people gather, catch up, and feel known — something customers say they missed during a seven-week closure at Highway 169 American Cafe and Watering Hole.
“It’s nice to have people welcome you by name when you walk in the door,” restaurant regular Harley Weyer said.
That sense of connection is part of what makes the cafe special, and why its temporary closure in March was felt across the community.
Owners Keith and Annette Leslie made the difficult decision to close after Keith began losing feeling in his hands due to a damaged disc in his neck.
“It had gotten to the point that I couldn’t go any further,” Keith said.
He needed major neurological surgery, and with limited staff, and Keith playing a central role in daily operations, the couple decided to shut down so he could focus on recovery.
Annette shared the news in a Facebook post, unsure what kind of response it would bring.
What followed, they say, was overwhelming.
“The support and the love and feedback, phone calls and everything, and all the prayers, it’s just amazing,” Keith said.
Messages poured in from customers encouraging them to take their time and focus on healing. Annette said dozens of messages poured in with similar well-wishes.
“Take care of yourself. We’ll be here. We’ll wait for you,” she said.
For the Leslies, it was reassurance that stepping away wouldn’t mean losing the business they had built, or the community behind it.
“We didn’t come into this thinking this is what we were going to get,” Annette said. “But we did.”
Seven weeks later, the doors are open again.
Customers are returning, the dining room is full, and Keith is back making his rounds, checking in with familiar faces.
“We were packed earlier today. Last night, we were completely full,” Annette said. “We’re full of people, people coming in and checking on how we’re doing.”
For now, the cafe is operating with a limited menu and shorter hours as Keith continues to recover and new staff are trained.
But being back has meant more than just business.
“Having other people care about you, it makes it not seem as bad as it is,” Keith said.
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