The Reve rises: Owner announces plan to add outdoor seating area

Eighteen months after a fire destroyed a neighboring business, and seriously damaged his coffee shop, the owner of The Reve (232 Thayer Street) is hoping something positive will come out of the ashes.

Jesse Steinmetz spoke to the City of Rhinelander plan commission Wednesday evening regarding plans to build an outdoor seating area on the footprint of the former Dinky Diner.

The 100-year-old building that housed the eatery was demolished approximately three months after a March 28, 2023 fire caused extensive damage. The Reve suffered smoke and fire damage as well as a loss of rent.

Steinmetz said he is the process of purchasing the lot (230 Thayer Street) where the diner stood and has plans to turn it into an outdoor brick patio with green space. 

The intent is to host events and serve alcohol on the premises, he added.

“The patio will have three entry points from street side, parking lot and green space,” he explained in a written submission to the commission. “Bordering the patio will be a 22” high by 8” wide seat wall. The green space will be filled with ornamental trees, decorative rocks and natural mulch with a bullet edge border.”

Steinmetz noted that he opened The Reve in early 2021 despite warnings that it wouldn’t be successful.

“When I started, I started pretty small and I didn’t really know what would happen with it,” he admitted, adding that the business venture has had a major impact on his life. “After awhile it became pretty obvious to me that I had to keep going,” he said.

 “It’s a place where I’ve met a lot of good friends,” he added, noting that people took the time to reach out to him after the fire to ask when the coffee shop would reopen. This showed him that the space was important to others as well, he said.

He explained that he believes the outdoor patio idea would be successful as the coffee shop previously hosted events, such as a gathering of Northwoods young professionals, but isn’t suited to accommodate a larger number of people.

“It would be nice to have space to hold community events,” he said.

Following Steinmetz’s presentation, the plan commission unanimously approved his site plan for the seating area.

It’s unclear when the coffee shop will reopen as it was noted that Steinmetz does not yet have a permit to occupy it once again. Fire Chief Brian Tonnancour said an inspection would be necessary before the permit can be issued.

The Dinky Diner is also rising again. The owners are in the process of preparing to reopen in a new location — the former home of Frasier’s Kitchen (130 Brown Street).

In September, the Common Council authorized city administration to submit an application for a Community Development Investment (CDI) grant in the amount of $250,000 for the commercial redevelopment of the site.

According to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which administers the grant program, the goal is to assist in transforming communities across the state by providing matching funds up to $250,000 to support “shovel-ready projects that focus on revitalizing a community's downtown area or commercial center.”

The matter was brought to the council for consideration because the application must come from a municipality, though it does not involve city funds.

 “Please remember that the City is the applicant for this grant — we then work directly with the interested party (in this case, the Dinky Diner) and the WEDC,” city administrator Patrick Reagan explained. “No City of Rhinelander funds will be used to fund this project. We are basically the grant administrators. I have been working with Jim Rosenberg from the WEDC and Rick Colvin, the owner of the Dinky Diner, on this project and will continue to do so.”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].