From renovation to reopening: Loco Ketchup Cafe to reopen Tuesday

After a months-long struggle to reopen their doors, the Loco Ketchup Cafe is finally resuming business.

Announced last Monday, the cafe will hold a grand reopening just in time for the summer months, and owner LaRae Sifuentes said she can't wait to get started.

"I'm really excited to get going, to see everybody and to get busy," she stated.

The grand reopening is set for tomorrow – Tuesday, May 9 – beginning at 11 a.m.

The good news comes after state inspectors and the state fire marshall gave Sifuentes the all-clear to reopen, ending a long struggle to make the 75-year-old building compliant with state code.

Sifuentes said she's particularly glad to have the past few months of stress and hassle behind her.

"It's just been really bumpy and I'm impatient," she said with a chuckle.

After taking over the business last fall, the original plan was to close for the holidays to spend time with family while updates were made to the building's interior, and then to reopen in mid-January.

However, problems with water, heating, plumbing and other issues kept pushing the reopening further back, and after months without generating income, Sifuentes' start-up funds were eventually exhausted.

The community responded by donating thousands of dollars on GoFundMe and through a benefit account, helping to push the cafe across the finish line, something Sifuentes said she's enormously thankful for.

"I just appreciate everybody so much," she said. "All of the support we've had has just been unbelievable."

When the cafe reopens Tuesday, Sifuentes said the regular menu items and "everyone's favorites" will still be available, as well as Mexican food in the form of daily and weekly specials.

And of course, who can forget that Loco's reopening also means the much-anticipated return of soft-serve ice cream to New Rockford. The ice cream menu on opening day will include shakes, malts, sundaes and so much more.