REINVENTING LANSING CORNERS

Steve Patterson, left, is native to Rochester and runs the front-end operations of Lansing Corners, north of Austin. Brian Miller, from Albert Lea, mans the kitchen and the brewery.

Photos by Savannah Howe/newsroom@austindailyherald.com

New model notches first successful months of newest adventure

By Savannah Howe

The big red building at 27017 Hwy 218 north of Austin is a long chapter book, holding a different story for each generation.

Lansing Corners, the scarlet mammoth of a structure on the corner of the highway and Mower County Road 2, was first opened as a gas station and diner in 1938; it exchanged many hands and identities before most recently being purchased by Steve Patterson and Brian Miller, a Rochester-Albert Lea duo who took ownership of the monument and are working to turn the ‘Corners into a bustling beer and burger hotspot.

Reopening Lansing Corners was a roll of the dice for Patterson and Miller, who originally planned to open a brewery in Rochester. Like most business plans of March 2020, the pair’s hopes were quickly dashed as the pandemic progressed.

“Basically everyone said ‘tough luck,’” Patterson recalled. “There was no bailout for businesses that were almost open. The bank pulled our loan when we had already invested $60,000 into the project. So at that point we just decided that we had to wait for the right opportunity.”

The right opportunity just happened to be 45-miles-or-so south; Austin’s Clifford of a restaurant was ripe for the taking. Patterson and Miller purchased the building and its 4.5-acre-lot and opened their reinvented version of Lansing Corners on Sept. 4 of last year.

It’s been almost half a year since opening, and the restaurant’s near-future agenda is chock-full with exciting updates and activities. The owners feel their updated burgers-and-fries-forward menu has been received well. Business has been good since opening, Patterson said, but the new owners have a lot in store for the upcoming warm season that they’re eager to share with Austin.

“We’re planning to put in a patio in the spring and add some seats to our restaurant,” Patterson said. Outdoor concerts are slated to start this summer too. “The inside of the restaurant is getting closer to where we want it to be (which includes new light fixtures, paint, and televisions). There’s so much work to do on this building. As we have the time and money, we’ll do it, but we’re short on both.”

Even in the winter months, Lansing Corners is teeming with activity. The restaurant hosts weekly free poker and bingo, periodical karaoke or comedy show nights, an indoor cornhole league every Thursday, and special one-time events like the upcoming Beer Olympics, set to take place on the last Saturday of February. The Olympics, Patterson said, will be a tournament of all things beer games, like quarters and pong.

“I’m trying to create an environment that everyone wants to hang out in,” Patterson said. “I’m always super jealous of everyone that gets to just come in and hang out. … I’m really excited for what we’ve created here.”

Opening, the owner lamented, has been “a hell of a learning curve.” Lansing Corners has changed its hours four times since opening in an attempt to best meet Austin’s wants and needs; the restaurant is currently closed Monday and Tuesday, open 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. Patterson is also battling to get his Apple Maps listing updated; iPhone users, when putting Lansing Corners into their GPS, are informed that the restaurant is permanently closed.

“iPhone users beware, we are not permanently closed,” Patterson laughed.

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After over triple the expected amount of people showed up to the restaurant’s soft opening last year, the owners don’t plan to have a grand opening this spring as expected — business seems to already be in full swing.

Patterson and Miller are also excited to begin their collaboration brew with Austin’s Angry Hog Brewery and Taproom; in the collab, brewers from each place will come up with part of the recipe, and the resulting creation will be offered on tap at both locations. The best way to stay up-to-date with the restaurant’s events and hours are through Facebook.

Despite not getting the chance to spend much time in Austin outside of the four walls of his restaurant, Patterson feels he has gotten to know the community well in the last five months.

“The people have been awesome,” he said. “I feel like I can trust my regulars that come in here and everyone’s just really welcoming, really honest. That’s a great feeling, coming in here and having support. It can be tough to come into a small town because everyone definitely knows you’re not from around here.”

In September, the two commitLansing Corners’ new set-up includes refreshed light fixtures, a new coat ted to immersing in Austin culture of paint and an array of TVs to tune into your favorite game. for the long-haul. While understanding that locals may miss the identities that Lansing Corners held in years past, Patterson hopes he and his business partner have sold the community on their food being good — and on them being good people. “We’ve had to win some people over because this building means so much to them, and everyone has had their favorite version of it,” Patterson said. “... Everyone has a lot of great memories here.” For those that have been a tougher sell since the ‘Corners reopened, Patterson is asking for a chance. The cheese curd bacon burger comes highly recommended by both owners, and they have also decided to carry over the supper-club-staple prime rib night into the restaurant’s new chapter. Patterson and Miller are excited to see more and more of the Austin community come through their doors. Each day they see their gamble on Austin turn into a greater reward. “We’ve taken some small risks, which has given us some confidence to take bigger risks,” Patterson said. “We’re stepping out of our comfort zone.” P

While Lansing Corners has seen plenty of upgrades, there is still plenty to remind those from Austin of what came before.