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 The
diner is located in the property owned by the village of New Holland
and is being leased by Cassie Young of Mason City. Young is no
stranger to food preparation, having run her own business in Mason
City for some time. At her Mason City business she focuses on sweets
and is incorporating that love of decadent candies into her business
in New Holland, along with a love of pork.
Ollie’s mascot is Boss Hog who stands at the corner
of the bar as guests enter the building, symbolizing that the
primary meat on the menu is going to be pork based. The next best
offering will be black angus beef.
Young is a quiet, laid-back lady who has adopted a
few motivating tag lines. First she says that the diner is “go big
or go home.” She notes that portion sizes are large and delicious.
She adds that there are smaller versions available. Often referred
to as children’s meals, she says there are a lot of adult customers
who will order that smaller version because they know that the
“man-sized” plates are going to be more than they can eat.
The next tag line is “we’re meat and tater people.” The offerings on
the menu are good old-fashioned country cooking featuring foods with
names that are recognizable just the same as the food. From biscuits
and gravy to pork chops or chicken strips, everything is a lot like
what grandma would cook.
Then the third tag would be “honor your history and
heritage.” The diner is named Ollie’s and it pays homage to the
founder of the Village of New Holland. Oliver Holland was that
founder, and he is prominently featured on a will in the first room
of the diner.
Also, the bar in the first room is original to the
building, and there is what appears to be a 1920s era photo hanging
at the far end of the bar that verifies it.
Walking into the main door at Ollies, the bar and a
long walkway of antiques collectables speak to days gone by and
helps set the tone for a business that is paying tribute to the
community. There are a few lunch tables in the first room, but the
bulk of the dining space is in the next two rooms.
The middle room is accented by a lovely fireplace
with a few tables for smaller groups. The third room has space for
larger groups and several tables for four. It is in the fourth room
that the Sunday brunch is set up. Guests can come in and enjoy a
large all-you-can-eat meal on Sundays for one flat price.
Young explained that she came to New Holland before opening Ollie’s.
She had worked at the New Holland Café’ then for a while worked in
Lincoln at the Blue Dog. When she left the Blue Dog, she decided
that she wanted to have her own place and knew that the New Holland
Café’ had closed. She saw it as a kismet opportunity and reached out
to the Village Board to talk about taking on the eatery.
She said that Village Board President Annie Coers and the members of
the board were great to work with and it took no time at all to come
up with an agreement and a plan for the new Ollie’s Diner.
The officially opened on April 12th. And has enjoyed success with
much support from the New Holland community.
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Young says there are still new offerings that she
will be bringing to the diner including a “candy bar” which will
feature the homemade sweets she offers through her other business.
There are also aspirations to add a milkshake to the menu with old
fashion milkshakes made to order.
Young says that the success of any business is based not just on the
owner but also on the staff and the support of family and friends.
She noted that her sons and daughter have been very supportive. Her
summation of the family support is that her daughter Rhiana is her
left-hand person, her son Trace has helped with a lot of the
maintenance and physical labor around getting the diner ready for
customers, and her son Aiden “comes to eat!”
Staff is also important, and Young called out one in particular
saying, “my girl Steph, is my right hand.” Steph and others at the
diner are also not strangers to the eatery in New Holland, as at
least a couple of them have worked in the diner through various
operators.
The Village of New Holland was founded in 1875 by Oliver Holland.
The land upon which the town was erected was owned by Oliver
Holland, a piece of his 700-plus acre farm.
On Friday evening, two of his great-granddaughters
were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Martha and Rhoda
Holland explained that they were the daughters of Don Holland,
granddaughters of Will Holland, and great granddaughters of Oliver
Holland. As a tribute to the town and its founders, the Holland
sisters were invited to join in the ribbon cutting, holding one end
of the ribbon with LDN’s Chassidy White, who is from the New Holland
area originally, holding the other.
Others joining Young behind the ribbon included her
staff, several family and friends, and Village Board Trustee Jonie
McAllister. Village President Annie Coers was unable to attend, but
sent a message via Nila Smith who was acting emcee for the cut. She
said she wanted to express her disappointment in not being able to
attend the ribbon cut and personally wish Young all the best. She
said that Young was “awesome” and had been a joy to work with in
getting the diner open for the community once again.
Jonie McAllister second from the
right McAllister was asked to say a few
words on behalf of the village. She said first, “thank you, thank
you, thank you!” She went on to say that the diner is an asset to
the town, and it is very much needed not just for the town but for
the surrounding community. It is also up to the town and the
community to support the business and help it thrive.
Before snipping the ribbon, Young said that she just
wanted to thank everyone who had helped her get going in New Holland
and she wanted to thank everyone who was at the ribbon cutting.
Before cutting the ribbon, the traditional posed
photo was taken, then Young at the end of the countdown snipped the
ribbon on Ollie’s Diner.
Ollie’s Diner is open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 6 a.m.
and closes at 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The diner has
extended hours on Friday and Saturday, closing at 8 p.m. On Sunday
the diner is open for brunch buffet only from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The
diner is also maintaining, in collaboration with Community Action,
the Senior meals programs that were established by previous
operators.
[Nila Smith]
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