Taylor takes ownership of downtown diner

Walter Sprague
Art and Culture Reporter
 
Donna Chmeler had wanted to retire for some time and put Donna’s Diner up for sale a while ago. On Dec. 1, 2020, Don Taylor became the new owner.
“I think it’s hard for Donna to see this go,” Taylor said, “But she had wanted to retire; she had some surgeries coming up, so it was time.”
“She’s always been very supportive of me. She helped me get going in this, and I’m going to honor the years of work she and Doug (her husband) have done.”
It’s been a challenging, busy year for Taylor as well. With Ruth, his wife, opening up Cambria Pharmacy inside of Decker’s, with his successful run for county commissioner, and now as the new owner of Donna’s Diner, it goes without saying that the Taylors have been very busy this year.
“I would never have started a restaurant from scratch,” Taylor said, “Especially with COVID. The truth is that over 70% of restaurants fail in their first year. And because of the pandemic, it has been a bit slow.”
“But Donna’s already has almost a brand recognition. Every year, especially during Sturgis (South Dakota), people come from all over. They make sure one of the stops is Donna’s.”
“It has been a staple in the community for a long time,” Taylor said, “Donna and Doug did a lot of the work. I wanted to continue that without getting somebody that didn’t know the area buying it and changing everything.”
While there have already been some changes, the food remains the same. The changes include an upgrade to the kitchen. And there has been other cleanup and repairs on the old building next to the Antler’s Hotel. He said he’s even thinking about making some improvements such as putting in new flooring and building an outdoor patio in the back so customers can eat in a friendly setting during summer. But he still wants the business to be recognizable as Donna’s. But with all that work, he also wants to make sure to use local companies to do the jobs.
“I’m also not changing the name. People know it as Donna’s. They know it as a great breakfast place. I’ve even kept most of the staff,” he said.
There was some opposition to his decision to buy the business, though. He was approached by some who felt that a businessman had no place serving as a commissioner. 
“But those are two separate things, and I’m going to keep them separate,” he said, “Although I’ve only served a few weeks, I’ve already had to make a tough decision that has cost us. But it was the right thing to do,” he said about voting to remove the county health officer. “We weren’t happy about having to do it, but it had to be done. It has cost the pharmacy some. But like I said, it was the right thing to do.”
As for the diner, he doesn’t intend to change the legacy that Chmeler built. He is fixing things up, but according to Taylor, there is a history being preserved there.
“That was one of the reasons when we reprinted the menu (that) we added some historical pictures to it. That was to help preserve the history of the community,” Taylor said. “All those pictures were from Leonard Cash. We’re going to frame some others to put on the wall.”
“The menu changes were not the food. But we did rename a few items to reflect the region, such as the steak and eggs. We’re calling it the Upton.”
One of the upcoming things that Taylor is excited about is the chance to help charities. Starting in February, Donna’s is beginning a fund-raising effort that will continue indefinitely. Each time someone buys a platter, Donna’s Diner will donate 50 cents to a nonprofit organization. The donations will benefit different organizations each month.
“I know times are tough and really tough for some charities and nonprofit organizations,” Taylor said. “I’ve been reaching out to some other businesses to do this with us. It’s been nice that some have climbed on board.”
While there will be some noticeable changes in the look and some of the function, he still wants the staff, the food and the legacy of Donna’s Diner to be the same. He said that it has always been Donna’s, and it will always be so.