Siblings are building a new Oronoco restaurant with plans to open summer 2024
Dec. 2—ORONOCO, Minn. — A pair of local siblings are building their dream restaurant — Two Sisters Kitchen + Bar — to add a new option for family-friendly dining to Oronoco.
Diane Osland and Lori Melhorn hope to open Two Sisters in the summer of 2024 with an estimated staff of 25 to 30.
Construction of the 5,800-square-foot restaurant and café is already underway, led by
Benike Construction
and
CRW Architecture
+ Design Group. It is being built at 1251 Cedar Center Ave. SE, just north of the Oronoco Gas 'N Go convenience store.
"My sister and I have been talking about opening a restaurant for the majority of our life. When our father approached us about opening one as part of a commercial development, we said, 'Oh my gosh, we would love to,'" said Melhorn. "This is where we live and we know that there's a need for more eating establishments in this area."
The 146-seat restaurant will serve lunch and dinner daily with brunch on weekends with a full bar and an outdoor, pet-friendly patio overlooking a pond.
"We will also have an attached café with a drive-thru where you'll be able to get specialty coffees and breakfast items," said Osland.
Melhorn describes the menu as a mixture of traditional, made-from-scratch American fare with steak and salmon burgers as well as soup and sandwiches with an emphasis on some favorite Minnesota comfort foods.
"Hot dish will always be on the menu," she added.
The vision is to help area families looking for a convenient, healthy meal. Osland explained that the hope is that customers looking for take-out could order a meal in the morning and then pick it up from the drive-thru on their way home from work or school.
Both of the sisters raised their families in the area while working in manufacturing as well as hosting parties and cooking as often as they could.
"We both have been business owners over the years. This time we are going to be doing something we're passionate about ... food," said Melhorn.
The sisters are getting advice from Rochester restaurateur and mentor
Natalie Victoria
of Victoria's Ristorante and the Tap Houses. They are also working with Neighborly Group, a Rochester agency, on branding and communication.
Two Sisters is the first step in a plan to develop that Oronoco area, just off U.S. Highway 52. Osland and Melhorn are working with their father,
Tom Gauthier,
under the name Cedarpointe Partners to create a commercial area with four or five buildings to house retail stores and other types of businesses.
