In a world where nothing seems to stay the same for long, one element that remains constant is the importance of a gathering place in a small town. A destination for locals and travelers alike to drink, dine, and converse with one another is an immense driving force behind a small town’s economy, the quality of life of its citizens, and arguably, even the longevity of the town itself.
For the past 19+ years, one building in Tescott, Kansas, has readily provided this type of venue for the public. However, due to hardships caused by the Covid pandemic, the most recent restaurant in the longstanding community staple was driven to close its doors.
This could have been detrimental to the town of Tescott, but thankfully, a forward-thinking trio of community-centric individuals stepped in and saved the day, realizing that purchasing the building and making it their own was not an opportunity they could pass up.
Founders, co-owners, and friends Ben Belshe, Anjan Ghosh, and Julio Guerrero put their heads together, each using their areas of expertise to perfect a business plan and proudly open what is now known as The Lumberyard, in the former Branding Iron location.
Belshe was actually the realtor who had the space listed, and he quickly realized there was an opportunity at his fingertips. Grabbing this opportunity, the three got to work, and The Lumberyard officially opened its doors on May 13, and has had a ragingly successful first several months out the gate.
“We’re all involved in other businesses, but we all wanted to have a restaurant and wanted to get into that side of things. Ben knew what the property was capable of, and we wanted to bring it back and open it up for the community,” explained Ghosh, adding with a chuckle, “Ultimately, we secretly wanted to own a bar.”
The trio has all known each other in some capacity for the better part of the past five years, and all reside in close proximity to Tescott, with Belshe living in Tescott and Ghosh and Guerrero residing in Salina, just about 25 miles away.
That secret desire to “own a bar” has resulted in the ownership of a space that is so much more than a bar. The Lumberyard offers countless benefits to the town of Tescott, and what makes it special is that each element of the business is not just ‘offered’, but is instead executed with a delivery that keeps visitors coming back for more.
The Lumberyard serves as a place to eat, enjoy a beverage, stock up on essential grocery items, and connect with community members. Additionally, the space is proud to host live music on the weekends, which is a huge draw, bringing in listeners from far and wide to enjoy the spacious area, cold drinks, and exceptional shows.
The trio of Belshe, Ghosh, and Guererro is driven to not just provide multiple services and facets of their business, but to perfect them, and they always have the best interests of the Tescott community in mind as they make business decisions.
“Our goal is to be as community centric as possible,” explained Belshe. “It’s so important for a small town to have a place like that, a community center where people come to see everybody.”
To best serve the community and those residing within it, the space is welcoming to all ages, and is extremely child and family-friendly during the day. The cafe side is open in the morning for lunch, and it’s common in the afternoon to see patrons enjoying some of the recreational activities offered, such as video games, darts, and pool. The cafe side even has a sundry shop, providing essential groceries to ensure community members don’t have to make a long drive just to stock up on necessities.
When the sun goes down and the day turns to evening, the action shifts to the bar side, but even then, the group assures it is not a “dark and dingy bar vibe”. Instead, The Lumberyard boasts a light, friendly, and refreshing atmosphere.
People can enjoy cold drinks, good food, and even competitive games such as cornhole and horseshoe. The space out back, the actual “lumberyard”, includes an enormous covered patio, outdoor seating, and a large stage where many different bands treat audiences to live music and entertainment, seasonally.
“We have a really awesome outdoor venue area,” explained Belshe.”The location was originally a lumberyard and still contains the original big metal shed, which now serves as an outdoor venue area with stage, outdoor seating, lighting, a huge space, and a really cool atmosphere.”
The music scene at The Lumberyard is quickly emerging into something truly special. Part of the drive behind providing quality acts is to appeal to a large audience from a geographically diverse area.
Ghosh went more into detail on this, stating, “To be sustainable with inflation and everything, we’re trying to capture more than just the local crowd by bringing in bands, and pull people from further surrounding areas. Ben has been a huge driving force and put effort into getting good bands, and word is getting out and now bands are reaching out to us.”
Performers enjoy the nice open space, and find it a comfortable and fun venue to play, which helps to pull in quality performers. Cover fees depend on the band or musician performing.
While the live music outside is a huge draw, patrons also enjoy the high quality of the food on the inside. Much of this is credit to the main chef at The Lumberyard, Zeferino, or ‘Zef’ for short. Originally from Mexico, but in the U.S. for 14 years, Zef was a chef in Chicago at a large Mexican restaurant. When he became ill with Covid, his restaurant closed and he moved back to Salina to live with his brother while he recovered. After working at a restaurant in Salina for a time, he heard about The Lumberyard, and was intrigued.
Visitors to The Lumberyard Facebook page will see photos of Zef, proudly displaying what he has created in the kitchen. The photos alone are enough to make someone want to stop by and try out the place.
“He’s our silver bullet in the kitchen,” laughed Belshe. “He’s just a tremendous cook. We were hoping we could provide decent food, but he’s gone above and beyond our expectations. Every meal is absolutely fantastic and not your typical small town restaurant bar type food. The quality is very high.”
Belshe and Gnosh cannot say enough good things about the rest of their staff, either, which is comprised of six other individuals. “We have an amazing staff. It’s a difficult time to find anyone but everything has fallen into place, and it’s our fantastic staff that makes the place special. In the restaurant and hospital industry, your staff is what makes or breaks it. Our staff is very friendly and everyone seems to be happy with what they’re doing. Customers see that and enjoy being there,” said Belshe.
Another key player in the early success of The Lumberyard has been Erica Yates, Manager, who happens to be Belshe’s sister-in-law. Yates is described as an “ace in the hole” and is widely credited with helping the business get off the ground.
It’s pretty clear to see that The Lumberyard is a happy and special place to be, but you may be wondering that burning question… What should you order when you visit? Gnosh and Belshe agree that the most popular menu items are their burgers, which they explain as a half pound prime Angus, never-frozen patty, that they season and serve with all the fixings, served up on a pub-grain bun. Customers claim it is the best burger they have ever had. “Truly a fantastic burger,” says Ghosh.
As much as the drive exists to attract out-of-towners to the spot, the trio recognizes that at the end of the day, the locals and regulars are what will drive the business. To do this, they offer several convenient ordering opportunities and benefits, such as the Lumberyard Loyalty Program and Toast Takeout.
The Lumberyard Loyalty program is a way for customers to earn points that transfer into discounts. One point is earned for every dollar spent. For every 50 points earned, customers receive a reward of $3.50 off their purchase. There are other fun aspects to the program, such as earning double points on Thursdays and Sundays, and a $5 reward during a patron’s birthday month.
Additionally, the app called Toast Takeout makes it easy to order via app and pick up in the restaurant for those days when you need something on the go.
Getting back to the emphasis on being a community gathering spot, citizens can rent out the building for a wide variety of uses and for various sizes of parties and large groups. Ghosh offered up examples of Lyons Club events, poker runs, ladies’ night out, and more.
As great as The Lumberyard already is, Belshe assures us they are just getting started and that there are even more new aspects on the horizon. “We will roll out a more extensive menu soon, and hope to have bigger name bands and even nationally touring bands,” he says. “Additionally, we will soon have our liquor license and will be able to serve liquor in addition to beer.”
Visit The Lumberyard Facebook page or visit their website to stay up-to-date on upcoming bands, new menu items, and more exciting news from The Lumberyard.
Ghosh encourages folks to come down, play games, pool, darts, enjoy candy, food, or soda. “We so appreciate the support we have been given,” he added.
To see for yourself what all The Lumberyard has to offer and have it proven to you that it is mastering all trades, you will simply have to give it a visit.
