Cozy Inn lives up to its name

By Jean Issler

Traditional cafes are outnumbered by fast food locations in franchise numbers, but certainly not in popularity. Holdrege is fortunate to have a cafe that features home-style meals for breakfast and lunch, and a traditional all-you-care-to-eat buffet each Sunday.

The Cozy Inn Café is a landmark in Holdrege, located on east Fourth Avenue. It is known for its home-cooked meals and daily specials. Pat Landrigan and his wife, Joyce, have operated the café for nine years.

"We found our niche in Holdrege," says Pat. Even though the horrific ice storm came at about the same time he took over the café, Pat began building a reputation for good food and good company.

Pat and Joyce both like to get to know their customers and make them feel at home at the Cozy. Their customers include a large cross section of people, both residents and travelers alike. Being located on Highway 6 brings in travelers who are looking for a comfortable place to rest and have good Midwestern home-style meal.

This time of year, the Cozy hosts many crane watchers who come from both coasts for the bird migration, and Joyce especially likes to chat with them. Pat says there is a small group of women who come out from Lincoln every few months for his Rueben sandwiches.

When arriving at the Cozy, hungry folks first check the specials board. They will find two or three lunch specials that usually are not on the regular menu. Tasty soups and desserts are also listed, including homemade pie.

The specials and orders off the menu are served up quickly by friendly wait staff. If you are a regular, they are likely to know what you want to eat and your beverage of choice before you even sit down.

Sundays are a special treat at The Cozy. Pat features a buffet from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. He said that 95% of the buffet is homemade dishes. "We work from closing time on Saturday until opening time on Sunday putting the buffet together," Pat said.

Home-style cooking comes naturally to Pat. He learned to cook alongside his grandmothers, one German and one Irish. He also helped his sister with her 4-H cooking projects. He has 30 years of experience in restaurant cooking.

Pat said Holdrege is a good community and supports the café well. This past year, he and Joyce saw a need in Minden for the same type of restaurant, so they duplicated the Holdrege café and opened The Cozy Corner on the square in Minden.

The Minden location has the same menu, but is also open for dinner on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. It does not have a Sunday buffet.

The cafe lives up to its name daily. It is friendly, comfortable with good food.

The Cozy Inn is open 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for breakfast and lunch and is located at 1120 Fourth Avenue in Holdrege. The phone number is 308-995-4333. 

Business profiles are good business

Each week, a business profile is published in this newsletter. The newsletter goes out to over 600 email addresses and is forwarded to even more. Featuring your business is good advertising and good business. If your business has not been featured during the last two years, contact the Chamber Office at 308-995-4444 or Jean Issler at 308-991-8657 to schedule a short interview.