Benson’s Horseshoe Cafe owner retiring

The Horseshoe Cafe and Bakery is a real Benson landmark for good food and old friends. Now the Cafe’s owner is preparing to retire.

Jerry Stockley told us his favorite order: “Two eggs over easy, with bacon and french toast.”

That order has come with a generous side of friendship since the first time he walked into the Horseshoe Cafe.

“You just mark it down in your head. You ain’t going nowhere else.”

The Horseshoe Cafe opened in 1937. Columns bear the burned in brands of ranchers who made the Cafe a second home then and now.

Art and Juna Genesta are newcomers, recently moved from San Diego.

Art says, “We always stop here first and we keep coming back. We love this little restaurant and we love the small towns around here.”

A series of owners kept the grill hot and the good food coming as the years rolled by. The Horseshoe was closed for a couple of months before Patty Colombo and her late husband Mike bought the place 22 years ago. She already had a lot of restaurant experience and knew diners in this cafe wanted her to keep serving up history.

But soon she will close her chapter in the Horseshoe Cafe’s history. She’s retiring and selling the old cafe. Patty’s working on selling the cafe to a friend who knows the Horseshoe and its history. She will not close—just hand over the keys when the new owner is ready.

After all those years it’s like finding a new home for a beloved pet.

“Exactly. You know, you want somebody to succeed, you know, because I live in the town and I'd love to see it succeed but I'd rather come in and have breakfast.”

Longtime patrons like Margaret Dunton are pleased as she retires, Patty is preserving the restaurant they love.

Margaret says, “Oh, I hope she does. It really wouldn’t be Benson without the Horseshoe.”