Cafe A Meeting Place In Sale Barn

For all the talk about beef, this is the one place on the property where chicken and pork get mentions.

While most of the attention at the Farmers Livestock Auction is on the cows, duck into the Sale Barn Cafe, and there’s bacon, ham and sausage available for breakfast, or fried chicken for lunch. Of course, there’s also burgers and roast beef.

“Our crowd is a meat-andpotatoes kind of folks. They’re in the cattle industry, but they like bacon and fried chicken as much as anybody else,” says Mendy Miller, owner of the cafe. “We take requests for Friday lunch specials, and we get quite a variety.”

Those requests have to come in Thursday, the only other day the cafe is open. Miller, who bought the cafe earlier this year but has worked there for almost a decade, hopes to expand to Mondays and Tuesdays later this year.

Cattle ranchers start early, so the cafe opens before dawn. That also works well for Miller’s secondary customer base. With the bus barn for Springdale schools across the street, the cafe is a popular stop for drivers who want a bite to eat before hitting their routes.

There are only 13 stools in the cafe, plus a “secret” table behind the kitchen Miller says is the base for business deals among ranchers.

“You’d be amazed how many folks we can pack in here,” Miller says. “It’ll go three or four deep along the walls, and a lot of folkstake it to go and eat in the sale barn.”

Insider tip: If you like breakfast with a little kick, ask for some picante to cover an omelette. The picante appears to be homemade and adds some spice without overwhelming the plate.

Sale Barn Cafe delivers plenty of good, simple food, fast. Coff ee’s always on, and dressing up isn’t required. Overalls are fine.