By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
According to the Small Business Administration, the survival rate for a business after 10 years is just 30 percent. Great Bend Coffee has beat the odds. LaResa and Eugene Likes purchased the establishment from Paul and Barb Wagner nine years ago. After putting their own touches on the popular eatery and building a loyal fan base, it's time to move on. LaResa recently announced her plans to sell the business.
"I need some family time," she said. "My family is my passion. I have six kids, 18 grandkids, and the 19th one is due next week. They have ballgames and stuff, and I don't get to go to anything because I'm open six days a week and I'm the cook. Everybody says, 'You can hire somebody to do that,' but it isn't the same. I'm very picky. I want it to go out right."
LaResa grew up in St. John, spent 25 years in Belpre, and has spent the last 25 years in Great Bend. Nine years ago, she decided to turn her love of baking into a business.
"I was trying to buy another restaurant in Larned but the bank said no because it had already failed four times and they didn't want to set me up for failure," she said. "The realtor asked if I'd been to Great Bend Coffee. I told her I didn't drink coffee so why go in a coffee shop? I came down and saw what they had. It wasn't just coffee."
The Likes purchased the business. LaResa did the baking and Eugene did the cooking. The emphasis was on keeping everything made from scratch. LaResa revamped the menu in the restaurant with colored chalk on a large wall so everyone could see the various coffees, sandwiches, baked goods, and pizzas available.
"Paul and Barb had gone to Italy, and those were names of towns they had seen," LaResa said. "That's where the names all came from. I added a few things to it and changed the bread recipe to make it mine."
Health issues snuck up on Eugene and he was no longer able to do the cooking. Even with more than a dozen staff, LaResa usually puts 12-14 hour days into the business, arriving by 6 a.m. six days a week to do all the baking. The hard work has paid off with relationships with teachers, courthouse staff, various clubs, and the many other regulars who visit.
"I will miss the people," LaResa said. "It's always been about the people. I love making somebody happy. They're all just part of my family here. Everybody comes and says, 'You can't do this. You can't sell it.' But they understand."
Part of Great Bend Coffee's appeal, other than the food and coffee, is the atmosphere. Patrons bring in their own coffee cups. Kids have a place to play in the back. Everything is geared toward togetherness.
"I want people to come in and feel like they're at home," LaResa said. "We don't have TVs. We have radio and it's back in the kitchen, basically for us. People want to visit. They want to be able to hear each other talk. The radios were a distraction."
It's never been about the money for LaResa, but it is a business. She believes there are plenty of opportunities for a buyer to expand business ventures with the future opening of the Graystone event space above Great Bend Coffee and the success of Dry Lake Brewing across the street.
"I hope they want to keep it as a coffee shop," she said. "I'll sell the name and everything with it, and they can change it up and add more things. It has potential to grow. You can buddy up with the brewery and be their food truck. I'm not open in the evenings. I don't have enough hours in my day. But if somebody had a second person, they could keep it open all day."
Great Bend Coffee is now for sale but it is not in danger of closing. LaResa plans to keep it business as usual until a buyer comes along - and beyond if necessary.
"I will stay and train with them as long as they need me," she said. "I will not leave someone to die in the dirt. I don't want to set anyone up to fail. It's a working business and it does do well."