By Mike Simmons, Staff Writer

HAYWARD &8212; Almost everyone in this area knows about Nick&8217;s Meats in Hayward, but right next door to the famous meat shop is a town treasure in its own right &8212; the Korner Kafe. Paula Broitzman and her husband Gary have owned and operated the small restaurant for the past 5 1/2 years.

&8220;I have been doing restaurant work since I was 16,&8221; Paula said. &8220;This opportunity came up and I decided to try it for myself and be my own boss.&8221;

The small restaurant on the corner has been a town gathering place since the 1950s and continues to draw a good number of locals to this day to discuss politics, sports, grandchildren or just talk about the weather.

&8220;We open at six in the morning Monday through Friday and there is a group of farmers that are here every day when we open the doors,&8221; said Paula. &8220;We usually will get anywhere from 20 to 60 customers a day come in and get a burger or just a cup of coffee.&8221;

The Korner Kafe is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Paula explains that they used to stay open until 4 p.m. but with very few customers after the lunch rush there just wasn&8217;t any reason to stay open that late.

So things go in small towns, but this one has one big advantage with the interstate is just a half mile away. The Korner Kafe started keeping a book for travelers to sign when they come off the interstate a few years back and it reveals an interesting look at the people that pass through this area everyday.

&8220;Well, of course we get people from Iowa, Owatonna and a group from Austin that stops in regularly after visiting the quilt shop, but we have some from places you wouldn&8217;t believe,&8221; Paula said. &8220;We have had people from Texas and pretty much from all over the United States, but there was one couple that was vacationing here from Italy that stopped by. It was just chance, they wanted to stretch their legs and get a bite to eat and got off at this exit. They wound up at the Korner Kafe.&8221;

One of the things that are so important to restaurants like Paula&8217;s is customer satisfaction, and to Paula and her employees that&8217;s what makes it all worthwhile when the customers are satisfied. There are even people that travel through Minnesota every summer on vacation and make it a point to stop by and visit the Korner Kafe.

&8220;Small restaurants like this are an important part of small towns, so you do feel some pressure to be open as much as you can,&8221; Paula said. &8220;We are here all the time. The only weekend we are closed Saturday and Sunday is Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends. Other than that we try to be here.

&8220;If I want a long weekend I have two very good helpers that can take care of things. My husband will come in and help on Saturdays, he knows all the guys so he stays busy talking with them.&8221;

When Paula and Gary do have some time away from the restaurant they like to do some camping and ride their bike. Well, actually it&8217;s a motorcycle and Paula is quick to point out that she is just

a passenger not the driver, ever. She won&8217;t do it.

The Korner Kafe&8217;s food is all homemade and it runs daily lunch specials that include hot beef sandwiches, meatballs and fish and shrimp every Friday. And talk about fresh meat, being right next door to Nick&8217;s Meats, all they have to do is walk around the corner everyday and pick up some of the best meat in the area.

&8220;I don&8217;t have any regrets,&8221; Paula said of owning her own caf?. &8220;It&8217;s something I always wanted to do, that and you get to know everyone so well. It&8217;s almost like another family.&8221;