Barn’s Grill
James L. Davis
The Robertson family of Orangeville has always been a pretty close-knit bunch and if there is an event going on where one of them is involved, you can usually count on the rest of them being there in the stands, cheering them on.
With the opening of Barn’s Grill in Castle Dale last week, the Robertson’s have taken those family ties to the kitchen, literally. Behind the grill you can find David and Leta Mae Robertson and taking orders when not in school is Jodi, while their youngest, Rikky, helps out where he can. Even their adult children will lend a hand when they can. Sonny when he isn’t helping to run the family construction business and Willie when he isn’t flying Apache helicopters for the National Guard.
Barn’s Grill opened the door for the first time on March 13, but during a test run for family members the night before, they found people wanting to get in the door, so the demand for a new place to eat out is there and the Robertson’s are hoping they can meet the demand with simple fare served in a family-friendly environment.
“We’re starting out small, hamburgers and hot dogs, fish and chips, shrimp and chips, soup and salad bar. We’re just going to stay with the basics to start with,” David said. “Why try and be something that we can’t be?”
The grill is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. They plan to start serving breakfast in a few weeks, once they get their cooking legs firmly planted beneath them.
As for starting a restaurant in the first place, the Robertson’s probably wouldn’t argue with the statement that they need to have their heads examined. David owns and operates Robertson and Sons Construction and Leta Mae is a bus driver for the Emery County School District.
“We didn’t have enough to do,” they said with a laugh.
The truth of the matter was they hated to see the diner on 340 West and SR-29 sit empty. Near Emery High School, the diner is perfectly positioned to serve customers in two towns and tourists going to and from Joe’s Valley. The Robertson’s hope to capitalize on the location’s potential with a simple philosophy of taking care of the customer.
“If we can run a nice, clean family restaurant and get them their food within 10 minutes for a decent price, we’ll be OK,” David said.
Attracting and keeping good employees is often the biggest challenge when operating a small business, especially a restaurant and the Robertson’s hope to meet the challenge of a workforce by offering more.
“I’ll pay my employees a little better than other places because I want good employees. If we take care of our employees they’ll take care of us,” David said.
David admits that this is his first experience running a restaurant, but Leta-Mae has enough experience to let the knowledge of what it takes to run a restaurant stress her just a little bit.
“I fired her the first night,” David said with a laugh.
“I was panicking. I’ve had nightmares,” Leta-Mae admitted.
Barn’s Grill offers senior and military discounts and the Robertson’s hope to attract all age groups through their door for a good meal.
While the family wanted to take on the challenge of opening a restaurant, David admitted that there are other reasons for wanting bring people to Barn’s Grill.
“I have a lot of stories to tell,” he said.
Call in orders to Barn’s Grill are welcome. You can reach the grill at 381-5411.
Carbon Event Center to host 7th Annual Rural Business Conference
The 7th Annual Rural Business Conference will be held March 25-26 at the Carbon County Event Center in Price. Hosted by Senator Bob Bennett and the Utah Rural Development Council, the conference will offer a unique opportunity for businesses in the Emery and Carbon County area.
The keynote speaker for the conference will be David Taylor, group president, Global Home Care, Proctor and Gamble and featured presenter will be author and consultant Donna Fisher.
Breakout sessions include:
Got Money? A Guide to Small Business Finance
You may have the perfect business plan or the greatest invention, but do you have money to finance your venture? Panelists representing public and private lending institutions will discuss options and opportunities for obtaining business capital.
Progress in Health Care Reform:
A State and National Perspective
Rising health care costs and accessibility to health insurance continue to be major concerns for Utah residents and their families. Legislation at the national and state level seeks to provide new solutions to address health care at its core. Senator Bennett will present a national perspective and a representative from the state will report on actions taken by the Utah State Legislature during the 2008 session.
Coal in an Energy Hungry
Yet Carbon Constrained World
In this session, Dr. Darren Mollot will give a high level overview of current and projected demand for coal in the world economy as well as the Untied States. The discussion will then focus on what is being done to make the zero carbon emissions coal power plant a technically and financially viable option in the US and world.
Locally Owned, Globally Minded:
Exporting to New Markets
Every day across the nation, rural small business owners are selling their products and expanding their customer base in foreign markets. Learn firsthand from government and educational institutions how to use available tools and resources to take your business global.
Innovations in Marketing: Small Business Podcasting
Innovation sustains small business and podcasting is the latest on-demand and on-the-go technology. Learn how to incorporate this emerging technology into your overall marketing strategy and provide your customers with a new medium to allow them to become familiar with your company and its products and services.
Not What You Know, But Who: Effective Networking
Net-work-ing, noun: the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. Move beyond the standard definition of networking and enter a world of speed networking, an exciting and effective way to make business connections in a short period of time.
The Changing Landscape for Natural Gas in the West
In Utah, natural gas now exceeds $1 billion a year in production value, surpassing oil and coal, second only to non-fuels minerals. Utah now ranks 10th in the nation among the states producing natural gas. The state has over five trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, forecasting a bright future with abundant opportunities for future production and revenues of this low carbon fuel source.
Small Business, Big Sales: Increasing your Bottom Line
InsideOut is the world leader in workplace coaching. In 20 years of helping organizations achieve breakthrough levels of performance, InsideOut has developed an approach to coaching that boosts people’s confidence, helps them tune out distractions to focus on key behaviors, and infuses them with an unquenchable fire to succeed.
Registration for the conference is $25 and can be done on line at www.ruralutah.com, or call (435) 797-0423 or 1(800) 538-2663.
WETC prepares for Safety Fest
The Western Energy Training Center Safety Fest will be March 25-27. The Safety Fest is open to the general public as well as industry and you can register online at www.westernenergytraining.org.
Training is offered at no cost and classes offered during the three-day event include:
Sound Level Monitoring, MSHA Record Keeping, OSHA Record Keeping, OSHA 10 Hour Construction, OSHA 10 Hour General Industry, Supervisors Responsibility under the new Miners Act, First Aid / CPR, Automated External Defibrillation (AED), Substance abuse, Behavioral Safety Training (BST), Basic Hydraulics, Lockout/Tagout, Leadership and Team Building, Blood Borne Pathogens, NFPA 70E/ARC Flash, Use and Abuse of Rigging and Slings, Ergonomics in the Work Place, Fleet Safety, Laser Alignment, DOT vehicle Inspection, MSHA 8 Hr S/U Refresher, Cycle of Safety, MSHA Emergency Response and Power Plant Simulation.
There will be a continental breakfast and lunch for all three days. There will be a dinner on March 26 at the Carbon County Fairgrounds Event Center at 6 p.m. The dinner will include prime rib along with a short introduction by WETC followed by the key note speaker: Mr. Robert Parenti, president of the Utah Safety Council. This dinner is included for all Safety Fest participants; however, if you would like to bring a guest it will be $15.00. Please note this on your registration. For more information call Erica Burge at 435-472-4705.
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