The little bar in this little town in Faribault County closed in late October last year, but since it reopened in December, the bar has been a busy place.

Which makes Walters a busy place, too.

“It’s put life into this town you wouldn’t believe,” said Walters resident Pat Ranum, who works part time at the bar. “It’s been fantastic.”

New owners Tracy and Patty Rathai opened Rathai’s Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Dec. 15. On Saturday, the place had its grand opening and the place was packed well before the Walking Eagle Band showed up at 8 p.m.

Many people called the Walters Liquor Store “the Walters bar,” but Patty Rathai said she’s hearing people calling Rathai’s Roadhouse simply “the roadhouse.”

“People say, ‘Yeah, I’m at the roadhouse,’” she said.

The Rathais are the owners of Rathai Drywall in Wells.

Tracy continues to run that business while Patty manages the bar.

One of her creations has become quite popular — the Crabby Patty. The burger came from a conversation with one of her friends three weeks ago.

Patty used to work at Conger Municipal Liquor, and a friend from Conger came to Rathai’s Roadhouse and asked why there isn’t a Crabby Patty on the menu.

Patty asked, “Why, am I crabby?”

“No,” the friend replied, “Don’t you watch ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’?”

She so went in the kitchen and created one. Customers get a choice of a quarter-pound or half-pound hamburger. On it comes sautéed onions, jalapeño peppers, sauerkraut, one fried egg overeasy and pepper jack cheese.

Rathai’s Roadhouse has some amenities the Walters Liquor Store did not. Most noticeably, there is a walk-in cooler.

“Walters never had tap beer until now,” Patty said.

There is a full bar. New plumbing. New wiring. New roof. Three new flatscreen televisions with sports and racing packages. Remodeled bathrooms. Remodeled kitchen. The floor has been stripped, sanded and refinished. The annoying step down to the back dining room is gone. There is a Nintendo Wii at the front dining area.

And Patty said she intends to install three horseshoe pits, two volleyball courts and a new outdoor dining area this summer.

There is a wedding party already booked for a Saturday in June.

In addition to the Walking Eagle Band, with members from Kiester and Albert Lea — “Everybody really likes them,” Patty said — on Saturday, a band called All B.S., with members from Kiester and Minnesota Lake, will play March 27.

The name for the establishment came from Kathy Bergemann of Trimont. She was camping at RJ’s Campground south of Fairmont with the Rathais when she dreamed up the double-R name. It stuck.

Business has been great, Patty said. Rathai’s Roadhouse, open Monday through Saturday, goes through 240 to 360 pounds of ground beef a week. She said if the pace keeps up she will need to expand the kitchen.

The menu also features the Big Eid, named for a local kid who suggested it. The burger is served with bacon, cheese, fried egg overeasy and peanut butter. The pickles on the side are recommended, too.

“It surprisingly works,” Patty said.

The signature burger, though, is the Roadhouse Burger, which comes with pepper jack cheese, bacon, fried green olives, mushrooms and onions.

Burger Night is on Wednesday, when all burgers are $1 off. Fish Fry Night is Friday between Oct. 1 and April 1.

The menu also features specialties of steak, pork, chicken and shrimp offerings. Steak Night is Thursday. The staff cooks steaks and pork chops outdoors on the charcoal grill.

Ranum said the customers are glad to have a place to go in Walters.

“This is like home to them. It’s like coming home. This town has never seen business like this.”

The address is 218 Main St., but, in Walters, you don’t need to know addresses to find anything.