Small Town Gem in Downsville Caters to the Scatterbrained
historic home of Scatterbrain Café has lived many lives and hopes to serve the scatterbrained for years to come
Kyra Price, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
Always evolving in favor of trying new ideas, co-owner of Scatterbrain Café Stephanie Thompson affectionately refers to the quaint destination 6 miles south of Menomonie as her “child.”
“My mom wanted me to run this place,” Thompson said, referring to the café in the small community of Downsville. “Basically, from the beginning, it’s been my brainchild. … I care about it that way.”
True to its affectionate nickname, Scatterbrain Café has been a family-owned business for eight years. Thompson explained that her parents owned the café before her and were excited to pass it along to their daughter. As of May, she will have been co-owner for two years, and during that time she has been hard at work making changes.
The business underwent remodeling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thompson noted that the whole kitchen was moved, a walk-in cooler was built, and the bathrooms were renovated. Still, aspects of the original structure remain intact. “The original safe, rolling track, and bakery case are still here,” Thompson explained, pointing to the back of the café, ceiling, and service area. “We definitely want to highlight that.”
The building that houses the café has stood the test of time – “It’s been here over 100 years, (since) the lumber boom era,” Thompson proudly said – and before Scatterbrain existed, the space lived many lives. The building had been a general store, a hardware shop, an antique shop, a mom-and-pop coffee shop, and – finally – what it is today.
The business was once called Downsville Café, but Thompson said she didn’t love the name. “Four years ago, (my husband) just woke up one day and was like, ‘It’s me. I’m the scatterbrain,’ ” Thompson recalls. The term stuck, becoming the café’s new name. “It helps people who are hyperactive. It’s focus for the unfocused.” All these years later, one of Thompson's goals is to maintain relevancy to Scatterbrain’s customers.
Perhaps one of the café's most notable changes was its switch to roasting coffee in-house. “We had a local coffee roaster at first, but he was ready to retire. We purchased his equipment and now roast coffee on site,” Thompson said. The unique trick to their signature roasts? “The beans are roasted in a 100-year-old cast iron roaster!”
The café’s menu and cooking processes are equally unique. Everything is made from scratch – from the baked goods to the coffee, soups, and paninis. Most of their ingredients are locally sourced as well, a purposeful move to support area farmers as best they can.
Scatterbrain Café now serves omelets, hash browns, pancakes, and other fixings for breakfast. Known for delicious and fun takes on classic dishes such as unique waffle specials for Waffle Thursday (Corn Bread, Chocolate Cadbury Cream, Carrot Cake, etc.) as well as Alligator Eggs (avocado toast with eggs, mango salsa, and pulled pork with a house-made root beer BBQ sauce), Thompson has been playing with recipes to keep things new and fresh.
For lunch, bistro-style soups and paninis are offered. “My grandmas taught me how to cook. It’s their recipes,” Thompson said proudly. Currently, there are no offerings for dinner, but Thompson noted there are future plans to change that, too.
As with its menu, the café is subject to change, as it has over the decades. Thompson has big plans for Scatterbrain Café, and is eager to keep the family-owned business alive and well. The Scatterbrain staff hopes the unique atmosphere and friendly service keep people coming back for years to come – in fact, customers are encouraged to stick around. “We want people to loiter!” Thompson laughed.
Scatterbrain Café (E4507 County Road C, Menomonie) is open seven days a week, 8am-3pm • Call (715) 664-8260 • Learn more on their website • Keep up with them on Facebook
