Print this story | E-mail story | This story has 27 comments Add your own | iPod friendly
Graystone sold, will become Prante’s on the Lake
Wahpeton couple buy restaurant from Zells
Published Thursday, January 31, 2008
Photo by Jeff Hage
The Graystone on Otter Tail Lake will open for the 2008 season under new ownership.
Graystone, a popular restaurant on the southwest end of Otter Tail Lake, has been sold and will reopen in May as Prante’s on the Lake.
Karen Zell, owner of the restaurant/bar for 13 years, finalized the sale to Jerry and DoeRae Prante, Wahpeton, on Tuesday. The Prante’s have extensive experience in the restaurant business, presently owning Prante’s Fine Dining in Wahpeton. They are in the process of making plans for the restaurant and developing the menu.
Prante’s on the Lake, said DoeRae, “is going to be seasonal to start with. We’re going to offer a whole new menu in a casual setting.”
Otter Tail Cruises charter boat will continue to be moored near Graystone. Prante’s will do catering for the cruise service, DoeRae said.
Mild winters and the resulting lack of customers prompted Zell to close the end of last October.
“The last few winters we’ve had no snow, so it cut down on the snowmobilers who used to stop here,” she said. “They’re a big part of our winter business. This business is demanding, especially in the summer. Otter Tail Lake gets busy in the summer and we get a lot of lake business. I miss summer and I’d like some free time.”
Graystone has a long history in Otter Tail County.
“It’s been here for years and years,” said Zell, who purchased the business in September 1994 from Jim and Bev Ellis. “It started out as a little beer place a long time ago. It used to have cabins around it called Graystone Lodge. It hasn’t had cabins for years — probably not since the 1980s.”
Zell waitressed at the Graystone the summer of 1984 after graduating from college.
“And I came back 10 years later,” she said. “I was living in Minneapolis, working in the restaurant business. I wanted to get out of the big city and I had kept in touch with (the Ellises).”
During her tenure, Zell has remodeled the kitchen twice, expanded the kitchen and dining room and added a party room.
“I’m going to miss the customers and the employees,” she said. “I’ve gotten to know a ton of people and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
Zell plans to move to a home on Otter Tail River.
“I do some interior painting. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else I’m going to do. I plan to stay in the area.”
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by TLRC (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good deal - Maybe this place will have good food again. I don't think I ever had a hot or good tasting meal at the Graystone in a very long time. If Prante's brings some of there recipes down that will be great- Can't wait to try out the new menu in the summer. Good Move on both sides of the sale.
Posted by 2dLake (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 2:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ah... Lenny's!.... Summertime .... Biggest question - will the trivia guy still be there on Friday nights?
Posted by Jvaca (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Not only was the Gstone a great place to work at but it was also a fun place to eat and drink. Many of us got to know alot of the regulars and was welcomed into their families. Karen was a terrific boss and a friend, which a lot of us still call her our "second mom". Graystone and Karen have given me personally some of the best experiences i'll ever have and has taught me so much about the business. "Graystone" will def be missed my many and Prante's will have big shoes to follow. Best of luck to the new owners!
Posted by Granny (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations
Anxious to try the Graystone again.
Posted by summer (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations Karen! We will definately miss you! Thank-you for all you have done in the past years! The experience working at the graystone has taught me a lot! Thanks!
Posted by Josephine (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Always good food and atmosphere at the Greystone can't wait till it re-opens.
Posted by tink (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 5:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We had our christmas party there a few times. The food was great and Sally was an awesome waitress.!!
Posted by antiquesforsale (anonymous) on January 31, 2008 at 6:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree! Nice to have a restaurant right across from the lake - always have had good food and a nice atmosphere.
We'll be there when it opens!
Posted by MNPhisherman (anonymous) on February 1, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great atmosphere, great owners. hopefully little changes with the new ownership.
Posted by positivelyperham (anonymous) on February 1, 2008 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lol, wasnt this the woman that fought for the smoking ban because it was going to help her business???? so with it she runs her business into the ground and closes. good job karen, maybe you should go help the new england patriots, they need some screwing up too. i have never had good service or a good meal at greystone, maybe that will change.
Posted by Jvaca (anonymous) on February 1, 2008 at 6:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The smoking ban was great. It was so nice to come home from the bar and not stink like cigaretts. If you were a smoker it was only a few feet you needed to walk to do all the smoking you wanted. And no offense PP, but have you ever ran a business in MN during the winter??? Gr-A-ystone was NOT ran into the ground thank you very much. EVERY business in your area suffers those months, EVEN grocery stores! Did you ever go into Graystone on a Sat night during "season"? There was always people enjoying themselves. The fact that you have never had "good service" or a "good meal" maybe means that your to finicky?? Yes I know that sometimes food does not come out correct ALL the time, but come on now, everyone isn't perfect. I know MANY MANY people, I myself, who have dined at the Graystone and had WONDERFUL service and food for that matter. Before you bash on people maybe you should think of the positive things before all of the negative. Don't be a negative Nancy PP. Keep your comments to yourself next time.
Posted by Suzyq (anonymous) on February 2, 2008 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't recall food or service ever being good!!
Posted by Kloob (anonymous) on February 2, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As opposed to Zorbaz having good food and service? I guess they at least have the lake atmosphere However, another joke when it comes to overpriced poor quality food. Remember the Pier? Whatever happened to that joint. The area is hurting. Sad.
Posted by pilsnerurquel (anonymous) on February 2, 2008 at 12:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was really disappointed when The Pier went out of business. I miss having options for a night out besides greazy burgers with fries and chicken strip baskets. YUCK! Hopefully Prante's doesn't end up like another Amor Rumors...GROSS!!!!!
Posted by amorgirl (anonymous) on February 2, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
O.K... for a person who worked at both, GRAYSTONE and AMOR RUMORS, most of these comments are hurtful. Jvaca...said it best. "if you can't say anything positive, please keep your negative opinions to yourself.." And yes I do know everyone has the right to their own opinions, but to critize other people on the internet is pretty childish... If you guys think you could do better in our area, then you man up and take a shot at running a bar.. Trying to please your customer's enough so they come back, such as, making sure that every plate of food you take out is good and hot, or trying to keep the prices low so your customer's can afford to keep coming back..
I give props to Karen and the owner's of Amor Rumors. They have done quite a bit to make sure that their customers are leaving happy...and some people you just can't make them happy EVER!!!! Those are the type of people that should just stay home and keep to themselves...
Posted by bigsly (anonymous) on February 3, 2008 at 5:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Amor Rumors is the up-and-comer in the "Bar and Grill" business here in the area!
They have _good_ people working there, and although it is the old Amor School house, at least they have tried to accomodate patrons of the area by being open year round!
If you like to get out, and live here year round, visit Rumors!
Decent food, good prices, full plates and _friendly_ service!
The snooty weirdo that can't eat anywhere unless it's Applebee's or McDonald's, get a life! You are in the wrong area if you can't "stomach" eating what we locals enjoy. The _people_ are what we enjoy at such places, not the french quisine that out-of-towners expect!
Posted by pilsnerurquel (anonymous) on February 4, 2008 at 9:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
LOL! Wow, don't get out much do you?
Posted by McGru (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You are absolutely right Amor Girl! I too worked at Graystone! Karen is an excellent person to work for and the Graystone was is an excellent place to eat and drink. We just need to keep in mind that the people who are making these rude and negative comments have never waitressed or worked in a bar. And the comment about running her business to the ground...come on!! Obviously you weren't there this summer. Karen did great! Although it was very sad when she closed for the season, who could blame her. There isn't a whole lot that goes on around that area during the winter besides snowmobiling (which we haven't been able to do much of) and ice fishing. It costs alot to run a business like graystone~it doesn't pay to keep it open. She's not going to keep it open only to loose money. Karen will be truly missed and Graystone won't be the same without her. Good luck to the new owners.
Posted by positivelyperham (anonymous) on February 5, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
your right, im just a dumb consumer that tried graystone 4 different times and got the same crappy service and cold food. when i was there this summer it wasnt all that busy. let me give you a little lesson about the business mcgru. just because you have SOME success with customers doesnt mean you are a great business person. bottom line is this. smoking ban hurt her, she was wrong, irked alot of customers with her pro ban banter, had to sell off to not go bankrupt. i.e. ran business into the ground
and also im pretty sure your few months in the business dont qualify you as an expert in this business field. when you get at least 10 years and some management experience then we will talk, until then go to rumors, they need the patronage.
Posted by Suzyq (anonymous) on February 6, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Blame it on the smoking ban? What ever.
Posted by McGru (anonymous) on February 6, 2008 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As a matter of fact, I do have more than 10 years in the business. And no the smoking ban didn't hurt her. You can be mad at her all you want for supporting the smoking ban, but remember that her 1 vote for the smoking ban wouldn't have stopped it. Instead of criticizing Graystone and Rumors if you don't like them don't go there. There are alot of us who do like it and support the owners 100%.
Posted by positivelyperham (anonymous) on February 7, 2008 at 10:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
guess that 100% support didnt help karen much lol. 100% of 12 people is still 12 people. and if you really did know the business you would understand what im saying.
Posted by brahamgirl (anonymous) on February 7, 2008 at 10:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
positivelyperham
The first year I worked at the Graystone was in 1983 so I think I top your 10 years, and yes I have owened my own bar also.
So lets start with NO... Karen did not run her business into the ground, in fact she did very well. She maybe didn't do things the way all of us locals would have liked it but she did have a very good business.
And If you really knew the business you would understand that TIMES HAVE CHANGED it's not the same any more, you have to cater to the public in order to make any money and even then you don't make much. It wasn't the smoking ban that put any bar under. Did everyone forget about the .08 and if you have more than 1 drink you're driving drunk and going to jail. Besides the fact that gas prices have gone up along with electricity and everything else.
I wish the new owners luck along with wishing Karen luck in her new adventure in life, and the next time you want to think you know it all I hope you really do know what your talking about. And yes I have worked at Rumors too and I have to tell you the 2 owners now go out of their way to please their customers and they have a great place.
And my 15 year old son thinks you need to GET A LIFE and not spend so much time on the computer!!
Posted by local_bikerbabe (anonymous) on February 8, 2008 at 12:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well ... it sure is nice to know that the employees of both Graystone and Amor Rumors stick up for the bosses ... I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to keep your jobs. LOL However, I grew up locally to both the establishments and the different owners of both business and different managers. Now since it was brought up ... Amor Rumors, although it caters to different customers, they don't have the greatest food and any time I go there I can never get the same thing twice to drink. They are always "out of stock of that" or "we don't always get that in" ... do you see a problem there??
As far as Graystone ... I have given the place the "benefit of the doubt" many times for all different kinds of food they serve there and let me tell you ... I have been greatly disappointed. The pasta dishes have been salty (not just a little), the burgers were dry and flavor-less ( I don't think I should have to soak it in ketchup), and the last time I seen the way they took care of their chicken (well lets just say I won't give details and make everyone sick).
This however, is the empolyees not Karen and the new owners should be careful who they "re-hire" from Graystone.
I do sincerely hope that Karen does well with her future, she was very personable, and polite.
As for the rest of you that think negative comments should be kept to ourselves ... what do you have to hide??
Posted by dpa (anonymous) on February 25, 2008 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For a number of years I have really enjoyed Graystone. I have had some memorable times with my wife's parents and our own kids as we enjoyed the chicken and burgers. You really can't ask for a better lake-side eatery than Graystone. Another memorable time was celebrating my father-in-laws 75th birthday - a surprise for Norm Cross and something we couldn't have done without the new party room. Memories are made not with the fancy state of the art menus and the glitz of fancy decor - but of the stability of a nice place to gather with family and friends and enjoy a drink and some good food.
I want to thank Karen for providing just such a place for us around the lake. May you enjoy and prosper in your next steps!
Posted by Lakehome1 (anonymous) on February 28, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Karen for all the good food and great times at the lake. Maybe positivelyperham should stay in his own little world of Perham where if you're not from there, you will never be accepted there. Maybe you should keep trying the fine(yup) restarants in that town. Speaking of trying to get good food there? Where? Is there a good place? I've yet to find one. From an outsider looking in, Karen did a great job!
Posted by amorprince (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 10:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was an employee at Graystone for 6 years and LOVED every part of it...! I will admit that sometimes things like messing up orders or delivering the wrong food could happen, but that goes with most any restaurant business! Especially on a busy day! As a resident of Amor, I can say when Rumors was built it was nice to have another option yet at the same time I was still drawn to the Graystone's atmosphere, Karen and her employee's friendly attitude, and always feeling welcome! As of now I have no complaints about the food at Rumors! They give you huge portions, and a good meal! I would however say...they could improve on their employees and attitude towards the customers! Almost everytime I go t Rumors either to eat or just for a drink..it seems when I order something their employee's think it is a huge chore..! Don't act like that..ITS YOUR JOB, DON'T LIKE IT..QUIT! Another thing I might suggest to Rumors, GET SOME SHIRTS MADE..it makes you look SOOOOO much more professional! At least at Graystone you could tell who was working and be able to ask any of them for help!!! "That's all!"
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)