RIBBON CUTTING … Owners Brandon and Becky Rhodes, together with their children, family members, Manager Carrie Krasula, and Wauseon Chamber of Commerce representatives and members stand together for a ribbon cutting in front of the new Das Essen Haus Café in Wauseon. (PHOTO BY LINDSAY PHILlIPS, STAFF)
By: Jacob Kessler
The Das Essen Haus Café has opened in Wauseon for the first time. To commemorate the occasion, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in conjunction with the Wauseon Chamber of Commerce.
Located at 209 North Fulton Street, most will recognize the building as the former home of AKA Designs.
Former owner Marc Matheny recently had to step away from the business due to his deteriorating health. That is where Brandon and Becky Rhodes came in.
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The pair are also the owners of the longtime ‘staple’ restaurant Das Essen Haus located just outside of Pettisville at 4986 County Road 19.
With this foundation set, the opportunity was there to keep a good business open.
Carrie Krasula, a previous employee at AKA Designs and employee at Das Essen Haus, was also a big help in getting the idea going.
“I worked for Marc six years ago and I always loved the business. When the opportunity came up and when Becky asked if I would be interested in running it, it was just a dream come true.”
“I had already been there, and I knew how Marc ran things through his mentoring, so it was an easy decision for me.
“Being here now, we just want to thank him so much for building a wonderful business with a great reputation and great community support,” said Krasula.
“I am pretty excited for Carrie. It has always been a dream of hers to run a little café. This has just been a dream come true for her,” said Becky Rhodes.
There will be differences between AKA Designs and the new Das Essen Haus Café, and some things will remain the same.
The service will remain the same with a boxed lunch style. Five to six cold options will be available each day ranging from sandwich styles like ham and swiss on a brioche bun and a turkey club to other items such as chicken salad, tuna salad, and a veggie plate.
Two hot options will also be available which encompasses a broader range of lunch type foods.
Soups and a salad bar are also available for people to choose from and all items are available for dine in or take out.
Baked goods from Das Essen Haus will be available as well. The café will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
On Saturday and Sunday, the building will be available to rent for events like baby showers and other kinds of family events.
Catering options for events big and small are available and the building also features a meeting space available for rent that can fit around fifteen people.
There are opportunities available for the new café with much support being shown during their first day of operation.
“We do a lot of fundraising for the school in Pettisville at our restaurant location. We are able now, to look forward to working with others here for fundraising opportunities in Wauseon as well.”
“We are also looking forward to seeing all the new faces that we have not yet seen,” said Becky Rhodes.
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com