Fans flock as Rapidan Dam Store reopens after flooding

MANKATO – The Rapidan Dam Store, a restaurant southwest of Mankato that was demolished after flooding in June overran the nearby dam, has a new home.

Generations of regulars gathered in downtown Mankato to revisit the Dam Store’s new location, where on Monday morning the smell of sliced white onions, sweating on a griddle surrounded by sizzling hamburger patties, intermingled with the aroma of fresh baked pies.

David Hruska, co-owner of the restaurant, minded the griddle, wearing a blue shirt that said “Dam Store Strong 2024.”

In late June, Hruska was sleeping in his home when the most severe flooding in decades overwhelmed the nearby Rapidan Dam, scouring the riverbank. The flooding swept away the Hruska family’s home, along with a playground, trees and other debris.

The flooding led Blue Earth County officials to demolish the Rapidan Dam Store, a cafe near the dam that the Hruskas have owned since 1972.

David Hruska and sister Jenny Barnes said they were adamant they would reopen, and in July they began work on a new location on S. Front Street, at the former location of the Wagon Wheel Café.

On Monday morning, about eight customers were already lined up for the restaurant’s reopening, with dozens more coming in as part of the lunch rush.

John Wentz, 71, sitting on a bar stool, took the first bite of a burger at the new location. “Hmm, good,” Wentz said in between bites. Wentz, like many of the patrons at the Dam Store during its grand reopening, said he had been going to the cafe for years — 20 years, in his case.

The flooding and destruction of the previous location had him worried the restaurant would never reopen again. When Wentz heard the place had a new location, he made it his mission to visit Monday for another chance to taste another slice of the Dam Store’s river berry pie, his favorite.

Near the griddle, Evan Masters, 32, sipped a cup of coffee while eating a piece of sour cream raspberry pie. Masters worked at the Dam Store in 2011 and 2015, and he said he was never worried it would be lost due to flooding.

“It’s just such a staple of the community, people grew up here,” he said. With so many family-owned restaurants closing in favor of chain restaurants over the years, the Dam Store appeals to people who want to get a burger from someone who they know is part of the community, Masters said.

As the lunch rush began to ramp up, Barnes took orders at the till near the door. “We’re surviving,” Barnes said, adding that everyone at the restaurant was still scrambling, getting used to the new location.

“It will take us some time, be patient with us, let us get our bearings,” she said, before adding, “It’s good to see everyone again.”