Barn-Dor Feed Lot Supper Club open for business in New Albin

by Betsy Fruechte

A new restaurant opened its doors in New Albin October 15. The Barn-Dor Feed Lot, whose name comes from combining the names of owners Barney and Dorothy Diersen, is a supper club that specializes in buffet-style food.
Ron Weymiller of New Albin is the owner of the building where the Barn-Dor Feed Lot supper club is now located. “For years, I knew that a supper club would go in this town,” said Weymiller. “And right from the beginning I knew that if I was going to build a supper club, I wanted it to be a nice one.”
Weymiller approached the Diersen couple with his idea for a supper club, but initially they were unsure. “We went back and forth about four different times,” said Dorothy Diersen. Eventually, the couple agreed to the idea and began work on their country-inspired supper club and Weymiller specially built the building for the new business.
The Diersens are proud to say that their restaurant is different from any of the others in the area. The Barn-Dor Feed Lot has buffet specials  Friday and Saturday nights and brunch Sunday mornings. The special Friday nights is a fish and chicken buffet and Saturday nights a pork and beef buffet.
The couple was in the catering business before opening up the supper club and still does catering for special events. “[Barney and I] do all the buffet cooking,” says Diersen. “It’s what we know how to do.” The rest of the cooking is done by the Diersens’ hires, who are all locals.
The Diersens say that the Barn-Dor Feed Lot is a “down-home supper club.” The way they prepare their food supports this claim. “A lot of the recipes we use are my grandma’s,” says Diersen.
The Barn-Dor Feed Lot served over 400 people in the first four days they were open. “So far, it’s met our expectations,” says Diersen. “Everybody’s been really supportive.”
“We’ve had a good response from people,” says bartender Ross Kolsrud. “It’s something new and different. We’re even pulling people from La Crosse and other areas.”
While the food is one obvious reason for hungry customers to come to the Barn-Dor Feed Lot, the atmosphere also makes it an attractive destination. “We tried to make it simple,” says Diersen. “It’s a blue-jeans place to come.” A quilt hangs over the buffet made especially for the Diersens’ new restaurant. Other antiques and country-style décor are placed carefully on the bright yellow walls.
“It’s not too fancy. It’s a nice place to have a few drinks and eat good food,” says Kolsrud.
 
Hours for the Barn-Dor Feed Lot are as follows: the bar is open Wednesday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to close. The kitchen is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5-9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch.