Business people say city needs a restaurant
By Michael Johnson, Editor
Not everyone in Underwood wants to eat at their kitchen table or from a sack lunch everyday. In fact, many business people in Underwood noted that not having a restaurant in town is becoming embarrassing. This comes after the recent fire at T-Bones Restaurant and Lounge and the closure of the Cactus Cafe. Talks are in place to get a business in Underwood as soon as feasibly possible to serve food. A group met last Wednesday, and much of the discussion was about remodeling the front portion of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) into a restaurant, so that those in town or out have the option to stick around and eat something. John Wangen of Fine Line Kitchens and Design in St. Paul, Minn., worked with Underwood Commercial Properties (UCPI) to remodel the building that is now the Underwood Inn. He was asked to return to get an estimate of what it would take to remodel the SBDC space into a restaurant. That building is also owned by UCPI. Wangen had a plan drawn out of the process, including two phases. The front of the building would be (phase 1) the dining area with new kitchen. If that was successful, the rear of the building (phase 2) could become a lounge.
