Lakeview Inn now Lakeview Bar & Grill- New owners take over restaurant and bar on Dam Lake

Congratulations to Charlie and JoNelle!  Thank you for operating your business in Aitkin County!

JEANNE SCHRAM
jeanne.schram@apgecm.com

Charlie and JoNelle Heins spent weekends in the Kimberly area for years at a home once owned by his grandparents.
Both hailing from the Buffalo/Montrose area, Charlie had enough of his on-call job as a subcontractor for the railroad and the couple moved to this area in February.
They were frequent patrons of Lakeview Inn on Dam Lake, a bar and restaurant owned for years by Denny Solsvig. Now, as of June, the Heinses are
owners of the renamed Lakeview Bar & Grill.
“Charlie’s job was extremely stressful,” said JoNelle. “He was on-call all the time and did this for more than 30 years.” While the couple has operated businesses, they
never owned any and never worked in a bar. Charlie is at Lakeview every day but Wednesdays and serves as the cook two days a week. They were happy
to report that two of their three grown children have moved to the Aitkin area as well, one of them helping out at the bar and grill. JoNelle works in their
new business venture also but elected to keep her full time job with Groebner, a distributor of natural gas products. She commutes to Rogers three days a week,
working at home two days.

“We are trying to keep the same atmosphere for those who have come to love it at Lakeview,” said JoNelle.
She said small changes are being made slowly. New concrete near the entry door allows easing access for wheelchairs and those with mobility problems.
Some new bar stools have arrived and new signs are on the way. During September, there’s a Thursday food special of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes,
country gravy and corn.
“The majority of the menu will stay the same,” JoNelle said, including the three-piece broasted chicken meal on Sundays. In addition, there is bingo
on Thursdays, meat raffles on Saturdays and Texas hold ’em free to play on Mondays. Look for winter dart leagues and more events in the future.
“Veterans are important to us,” JoNelle said. “They eat free here on Veterans Day and Memorial Day.”
Six part-time staff members are employed at Lakeview (33592 300th Pl., Aitkin), with the exception of the cook who works full time. Lakeview Bar &
Grill is open from 3 p.m. to closing on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; noon-closing on Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday.

To find out more, call 218-549-3580. “We want people to enjoy being here and we want to treat them well,” JoNelle added. “We are looking forward to trying
new things, but the process is slow.”