Uncle Louie's Diner opens this weekend

When Uncle Louie's Diner opened in Sturgis, it didn't take long to catch the attention of foodies near and far. This Friday, the doors will swing open to the third branch of the popular restaurant – right here in Sundance.

"Friday will be our official opening day," says David Stewart, who owns Uncle Louie's with his partner, Debbie LaParr.

Like Sundance, the town of Sturgis was lacking in food outlets when the couple made the decision to open a diner in 2019. It was something LeParr had dreamed of doing ever since returning to her home town, and the community responded enthusiastically.

The diner's offerings include a wide range of breakfast dishes, from biscuits and gravy to omelets, breakfast burritos, chicken-fried steak and Eggs Benedict. Lunch options are also extensive, from burgers and sandwiches to salads, chimichangas, spaghetti, fish fry and much more.

"We have a pretty big menu," Stewart smiles. "We serve everything all day, so if you want spaghetti at eight in the morning, you can have spaghetti at eight in the morning."

Uncle Louie's has a full liquor license and regular specials are also offered. Last week, for example, saw a fish sandwich with French fries and Fisherman Wharf clam chowder on offer at the Sturgis and Spearfish restaurants.

The Sundance branch will differ slightly in its opening times to accommodate local needs. Initially, says Stewart, the doors will be open from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday.

"Down the road, we'll be open on Friday and Saturday in the evenings," he says.

Heading to Sundance

Sundance was not actually part of the original plan for the expansion of Uncle Louie's. Both the restaurant in Spearfish and the new location in Sundance came about due to the enthusiasm of customers.

It was almost a domino effect, Stewart explains.

"Originally, when we were in Sturgis, I was headed to Gillette, but then Spearfish people kept saying they needed one and it just so happened that the landlord I had in Sturgis had a building come open in Spearfish that was a Mexican restaurant," he says.

The landlord asked if the couple would be willing to come to Spearfish and they agreed, opening their second location in April, 2021. At that point, Stewart says he turned his attention back to Gillette – until he realized that a lot of Crook County locals were visiting the Spearfish eatery.

"They kept asking if I'd come here," he says.

Stewart says his customers were all telling him the same thing: the places available for them to eat in Sundance were limited, particularly at breakfast, and a functional restaurant building was sat waiting to welcome a new owner.

That building was once the Aro and, most recently, housed Joni J's. Stewart agreed to take a look and found Sundance was in a similar situation to Sturgis when he first arrived.

"My background is that I fix restaurants," he says. His past clients have ranged from owners needing assistance to figure out why they weren't seeing the success they expected, to new owners looking for help getting things right from the outset.

"I've done it for individuals and I've done it for corporations," he says, listing Village Inn and Perkin's as examples. "My last project was Arby's down there in Sturgis."

His work to rejuvenate the fast food outlet was successful, he says, and it also introduced him to the community of Sturgis and the possibility of his own local restaurant.

"[The community] kept asking, and I said there were only two reasons they didn't have a restaurant there: either the community doesn't support it, or the people that try to open restaurants don't know what they're doing," he said.

"So I opened it up and they were so happy, and they've been so good to me."

Getting Ready

Most of the staff members that Stewart and LaParr have hired so far are local, he says, because part of their aim is to help the local economy. The initial crew has been training over in Spearfish, ready to be up and running in time for opening day.

Stewart himself will be present at the restaurant for its first six months as he trains a manager and consolidates his staff.

"I'll have my manager from Sturgis up here for the first couple of days and Deb will be up here too," he says.

Positions are still available in both the back and front of the house and anyone interested in joining the crew is welcome to enquire.

Speaking of supporting the local economy, Stewart says, "I'm excited for the people in this town. Hopefully we can generate some good revenue for the town."

He also hopes to attract diners to Sundance from outside the area and promote a little tourism for downtown businesses, having already heard from several current customers that they plan to pay a visit.

Once things are up and running, Stewart expects to announce a grand opening event to introduce customers to the diner.

In the meantime, to book a meal at Uncle Louie's Diner, call 283-3620.

"Come on down, make some great memories, have some fun and enjoy the food," Stewart says.