Construction Starting On New Eatery on St. Cloud's East End

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Big things are planned for a little building tucked in the middle of the 400 block of East St. Germain Street in St. Cloud.

Maddie Waseka bought the building in 2022 as an investment property. Last May, we first told you that she planned to open an eatery in the 417 building (known as the former Dutch Maid Bakery building). At that time, she planned to start construction in 2025, and that time has arrived.

It's coming, I swear, I've been talking about it for two years, but I've been getting a handle on it and am finally starting to figure out what it's going to take to run two restaurants myself, so it's an exciting process.

Waseka also owns the Copper Kitchen on Highway 10. She says she wanted to get past the two-year construction project on Highway 10 so she could focus on that restaurant before opening a second one.

She received a $30,000 grant from the St. Cloud Economic Development Authority to help with some of the costs of demolition. The inside of the building has been completely gutted.

Kitchenette, photo by WJON.com's Jim maurice

Waseka says she plans to use the same tones and looks as the Copper Kitchen but with a modernized feel. She wants it to be a comfortable place for a businessperson to have a meeting, or a place to just hang out. It will kind of be an offshoot of the Copper Kitchen, but not necessarily a franchise.

Waseka is calling the new location "The Kitchenette".

She is starting with a coffee breakfast restaurant, which could eventually expand to a night shift with dinner hours. Waseka hinted at a three-phase plan, but didn't want to expand too much on that.

Kitchenette, photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

She says the two restaurants will have their own menu, with the Copper Kitchen sticking with its classic diner-style menu and the new space offering lighter fare.

At the new space, I'm looking to do something a little more light, not necessarily farm-to-table, but local suppliers and local ingredients from different places around St. Cloud. I want to keep things a little less diner and a little more upscale.

On the weekends, it gets so busy at the Copper Kitchen that Waseka says it would be nice to lighten the load and bring some of the business to her own competition on the east side.

Waseka calls The Kitchenette a passion project for her, where she can start completely fresh with a new menu, vibe, and look, and use her culinary experience.

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Kitchenette, photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

The Waseka family has been a part of the east side of St. Cloud since 1966, nearly 60 years. She wanted to create a second business on the east side because she sees so much potential for the east end.

I want to bring a restaurant to St. Cloud where people have a culinary adventure, but nothing too crazy, it's St. Cloud.

She says her hope is to create something that attracts people to the east end of town again.

Construction is expected to last through the summer. She says, if all goes according to plan, The Kitchenette could be open for breakfast as soon as this September.