Joanie's Creekside Cafe finds the flow of success

It's been two years since Lou and Joan-Marie Lane bought the Creekside Deli on East College Parkway, and in that time they have changed the name, increased the space, and proven their formula for success can be, well, successful.

Now called Joanie's Creekside Cafe and Catering, Lou Lane said the name change was needed to let customers know what they were getting.

"As we talked to people who came in for the first time, they were just amazed, because when they saw the sign 'deli,' they were thinking a counter and cold sandwiches," said Lane. "So to come in here and see an 80-seat restaurant blew them away."

Their location in the Shaheen Business Park, close to several office buildings and an industrial area, gives them a built-in customer base of office workers and executives looking for breakfast or lunch.

After the bank they shared the building with moved, an expansion added 60 seats and space for banquets and other functions.

"With the additional seats, we can get them in and out of here within their lunch hour," said Lane, who was the administrator for the Washoe Tribe for seven years before jumping into the restaurant business. "Most of these people are professionals, and they need to get back to work. ... That is one thing we have improved greatly on."

What keeps those people coming back is the food that Joan-Marie whips up in the kitchen. She makes fresh soup from scratch every day, and all the salad dressings, sauces and gravy.

Breakfast dishes, served until 10 a.m. weekdays and until closing weekends, include homemade corned beef hash and their own version of eggs Benedict.

One of the specialties is giant fresh salads, such as baby greens with almonds and dried cranberries.

"The menu has become more health-conscious, and we were wondering how people would take to that, and they have," Lane said. "We still have our specials like meatloaf or open-faced sandwiches, and people love that, and the plates come back clean."

The Creekside Cafe does indeed sit on a creek that runs under the building, fed by a warm spring that supports a small wetland environment. When the Lanes bought the business, they had a Washoe tribal elder come out and bless the property.

"It was my understanding that these were tribal lands here, archaeological sites, actually," Lane said. "So we wanted to do the right thing."

The economic problems that have led to several other restaurants in the area closing have increased business for Joanie's Creekside Cafe, and Lane said that revenues have grown every month. But it also causes him to worry about maintaining the quality of service and food as more people discover this eatery on the creek.

"It's nice that the till is ringing, but if we don't provide good service and quality, then we are doing everyone a disservice," he said. "Our goal is to make sure everyone gets great food and great service."