Only cafe in Finley, ND, closed

• Finley, N.D.

Finley, N.D.

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The Finley Cafe, the only restaurant in the Steele County, N.D., seat of 515, closed Tuesday.

“I think there’s always been a cafe in Finley,” said Laurie Tuite, loan officer with the Griggs-Steele Empowerment Zone and a board member of the Finley Economic Development Corp. “We hope it’s not for long. We’re hoping somebody wants to step into it.”

The cafe, located in the Town and Country Co-op, has been a community-private venture for the past several years. While the business has been privately owned, the Finley EDC owns the equipment and rent is paid to the co-op.

The EDC has been involved in the local cafe operation for several years, starting in the 1990s when it helped out the former Prairie Rose Cafe in town, according to Tuite.

When that cafe closed, the co-op converted a portion of its building into a cafe.

Community residents aren’t completely without a place to get a bite to eat, however.

Piccadilly Pizza and Subs is located in the Town and Country and the Press Box Bar and Grill serves lunches.

While Finley does not have a smoking law, the Press Box and Rumors Tavern, are smoke-free establishments.

“We don’t want to lose the cafe in the community, but it’s just not making money,” EDC board member Chad Aberlie said. “It’s really going to take a mom-and-pop family to be there all the time to get the cafe back up and running.”

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