A COZY TOAST. For 20 years, Eau Claire’s Acoustic Cafe has offered a relaxed, convivial atmosphere (as shown above during the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration) as well as memorable hoagies and other edibles (below).

Tucked on a corner in downtown Eau Claire, a well-known café where people of all ages and backgrounds gather for a refreshing meal, a cup of coffee, or to listen to some good music and catch up with friends, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Melissa Jones, manager of Acoustic Café, 505 S. Barstow St., said they are celebrating with daily specials and prize drawings during February. Every day there will be something “20-related,”such as 20 percent discounts.

Jones worked at the café for about five years previous to becoming a manager in September, but said she has been coming as a customer since high school because she felt it was a place you could just slow down and catch up. “A lot of times when you go to a restaurant you feel a little more rushed to get out,” she said. “Here it’s a little more relaxed.”

“You’d have somebody sitting in the booth that has spiked red hair with tattoos next to a group of senior citizens that, you know, maybe have blue hair. We’ve tried to make it an atmosphere where different groups feel comfortable.” – Lois Sieve, Acoustic Cafe owner, on the restaurant’s enduring vibe

One of her favorite things about working at such a community-based restaurant is the regular customer following they have acquired throughout the years. “We get to know them,” Jones said. “They’re usually very friendly and excited to chat and share and communicate with us. They’re usually kind of casual.”

Lois Sieve, owner of Acoustic Café since 1994, said she has seen downtown through the best and worst of times, but one thing about the café has remained the same. “When we first started out, it was during sort of the punk rock era,” Sieve said. “You’d have somebody sitting in the booth that has spiked red hair with tattoos next to a group of senior citizens that, you know, maybe have blue hair. We’ve tried to make it an atmosphere where different groups feel comfortable.”

In 1994, there were four locations of the café, including two in Minnesota and one in Menomonie. However, Sieve said they all split off and the Menomonie location was sold to a partner, as were the others. Now she just owns the one in Eau Claire.

As for future plans, Sieve joked that their only plan is to stay right where they are and be a part of the downtown as it changes and expands through efforts like the Confluence Project and Sculpture Tour Eau Claire

While they are currently in the process of renegotiating their lease at the current location, Sieve said she believes they will be sticking around for a long time. “We’ve seen such a rejuvenation of downtown Eau Claire and so many changes,” she said. “It’s been all positive, and we’re excited to go another 20 years if we can.”

When asked what she believes keeps them going as a business, Sieve mentioned the location as well as the menu. She said they are very often cited for their music and coffee, but there is more to it than that. “We are written up a lot in publications about our music and our coffee business, but really that’s a small portion of our business,” she said. “I don’t think we’d be around if we didn’t have our hoagies.”

Throughout the years, Sieve said they have kept their menu relatively simple. It hasn’t changed much because she believes quality is what keeps people coming back.

Megan Linton, a junior at UW-Eau Claire, said she frequents Acoustic Café at least a couple of times a semester for this very reason. “The sandwiches are perfect,” she said. “Everything’s good about it, and it’s a very satisfying meal.”

Linton also said the convenient location, just a few blocks from her apartment, makes it an easy place to run by and grab a cup of coffee.     Even when it’s busy, she said the wait time is doable and the staff is always friendly. She has also attended a couple of musical performances and said the atmosphere remains similar to the restaurant itself.

“You can tell everyone there, they all really like music,” Linton said. “Everyone’s enjoying it and they can appreciate different kinds of music and just kind of gathering with friends and sharing similar interests.”

And music will not be in short supply during the 20th anniversary celebration, which will run the week of Feb. 16–21. Sieve said they plan to have local artists perform both Thursday and Friday night that week, which will culminate with a Saturday night performance from Farewell Milwaukee, a band based out of Minnesota. Sieve said they are a really great band and they hope to help them become more well-known in Wisconsin. Whatever community members may have going on, Sieve encourages everyone to try to make it Feb. 21 for a “phenomenal” performance.

Acoustic Café • 505 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire • Mon.–Thurs. 7:30am–10pm, Friday 7:30am–11pm, Saturday 9:30am–11pm, Sunday 9:30am–10pm • theacoustic.com • (715) 832-9090