When James and Deloris Shultz reached their retirement in 1998, they opened Deloris’ Cafe on 18th Street. By 2000, they moved the business to its current location on Triplett Street. Over the years, one thing has remained constant — the customers have been the heart of the restaurant.
The founders had ample experience in the food industry, with Deloris working as a cook at several different restaurants including the Days Inn, End Zone and the 8 Ball. James retired from the Colonial Bakery before deciding to open the cafe.
In 2002, their son Joe — who retired from the army — and daughter-in-law Susan moved home from Fort Knox. Susan, who also had plenty of experience in food service, soon began to work as a server at the cafe.
“I loved it,” Susan said. “The hours were perfect — 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. — and I liked that kind of work. I liked the people and waiting on customers, many of who were senior citizens.”
In October 2005, when James and Deloris were ready to retire, it seemed perfectly fitting to hand the business over to their son and daughter-in-law. Joe and Susan bought the business and committed to bringing customers the same friendly service, high quality homestyle cooked food and great prices they had come to know and love.
According to the couple, not much has changed over the years. Susan said they have tried to preserve the original cafe and keep most of the menu items the same. With good servers and cooks, customers know they can trust their experience will be a good one. One of their main goals is to go from day to day, wait on the customers and make them happy.
“We operate under the mentality that if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it,” Susan said. “All of our servers are really good and our cooks are really good.”
Many of their customers repeat by visiting two or more times a day. According to Shultz, getting close to their customers is at the heart of the business and she said some of them have the best stories.
“Some just stop in to shoot the bull,” she said.
Susan said they want their prices low enough for the senior citizens who are on fixed incomes to get a good meal that won’t bankrupt them.
According to her, offering different meals on different days ensures people do not get bored with the menu. She attributes much of their success to the cooks preparing behind the scenes.
Three times a year, Deloris’ Cafe offers customers a big dinner a week before the actual holiday: Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and Easter dinner. These special dinners include turkey, dressing, baked ham, broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and dinner rolls.
Over the years, Shultz said that she has served many special guests including NFL players, Ken Shamrock, The World’s Toughest Man, championship pool players and local celebrities. Sometimes she didn’t even realize who they were until after the fact. Although the cafe offers carryout and pickup, she believes there is something special about dining in.
“We prefer people to come in and sit and eat with us,” Susan said.
For more information on Deloris’ Cafe, visit their Facebook page or call 270-689-0997.
