Many in the community can still remember when Wayne's opened its doors back in 1959, established by Wayne Austin Greenlee and his wife Ramona. Wayne was born in 1924 and graduated from St. Croix Falls High School. He enlisted in the Army during World War II, serving as a medic in the 37th Division of Ohio, 145th Battalion, in New Guinea and other Pacific Islands before participating in the Battle of Manila in the Philippines. Wayne was seriously wounded there and received the Purple Heart for his service. He returned to Wisconsin, married Ramona and began working in truck stop management at locations including Jay's in St. Croix Falls. After seven years he bought a few acres near the intersection of Hwy. 8 and 35 – and Wayne's Station and Cafe were born. In addition to the St. Croix Falls location, Wayne owned similar establishments in Amery and Pine City, Minnesota. He was also general manager of the Bobber Auto Truck Stop in Boonville, Missouri.
Wayne passed on in 2013. The popular spot, still bearing his name, has changed hands several times over the years. For nearly the last decade, though, it has been owned by Bobbi Tervo. The history and lure of Wayne's isn't lost on Tervo, who is quick to point out she remembered Wayne and loved to stop by and grab something to eat after "partying in the 1970s." Tervo explains, "I started out being a waitress at the age of 16, and my goal was always to have my own restaurant, my own place, you know. And this just kind of fell into my lap eight years ago. I got the place and after two months and 19 gallons of degreaser, I got Wayne's back to where I remember what it was like when I was younger. That is the kind of service I wanted to provide to people."
Unfortunately, keeping Wayne's alive in its original location no longer became an option for Tervo. The BP truck stop that was attached to the restaurant closed its door back in October 2021. Then, Tervo got notice that the building she was leasing was going to be closed at the beginning of 2023, with ownership changing hands last Friday, Jan. 6. That meant New Year's Day was the final day things would be open.
Tervo reflected, "It was definitely not my choice to move, but just leasing, there was nothing I could do. I love Wayne's. I love the customers. I love the nostalgia of Wayne's. It has been an icon on Hwy. 8 here in St. Croix Falls since 1959. I really don't want to move, but I am kind of excited because so many customers from Centuria are excited that they are going to have something now."
Tervo says her plans are to reopen Wayne's this spring at the site of the former Al's Diner, located at 101 State Hwy. 35 in Centuria. She hopes to keep the Wayne's name and be ready for a grand reopening there sometime this spring, planned at this point for between Mar. 1 and Apr. 1. The classic booths, malt machines and counters likely won't be making the move though. According to Tervo, she might make an offer to buy them, but they will likely be sold as part of the building to the new owners. Tervo says a new restaurant will be moving into the original Wayne's; however, she doesn't know many of the details of the new establishment, except that it will be called “More Than a Cafe,” which currently has locations in New Richmond and Bayport, Minnesota.
Many gathered during the last week of operations to reminisce and reflect on a restaurant that some have been customers of for more than 60 years now. Sisters Charlotte Gudmunsen and Sharon McCurdy were frequent visitors of Wayne's after they both married two local boys in the ‘70s and would stop at Wayne's after a night on the town. McCurdy went on to add, "We always come here after Sunday Mass and we are going to miss this." Ray and Lois Weidman of Scandia, Minnesota, have been coming to Wayne's for over 30 years. When asked what they liked about Wayne's Café, Ray replied, "The food and the atmosphere. We always liked the truck stop atmosphere." Erling Voss worked at the Minneapolis, Minnesota, airport and would always stop at Wayne's on his way home from the night shift. "The waitress Eva would have this place packed and she was able to take care of everyone and get them what they needed,” he said. “Nobody messed with Eva."
Tervo left us with one last parting thought, waving her hand for us to look throughout her restaurant. She had one question, "You know what? What don't you see going on here at Wayne's that you see going on pretty much everywhere else?" After a brief pause, she provided the answer, saying, "People on their phones! That's what you don't see – customers who are constantly on their cell phones. People get together here. They put down their phones and actually talk. That's my number one hope for when we move to Centuria, that people will connect like that in our new location, too." And Tervo was right. Of the 30-some people in the restaurant, not one was on the phone. There is no doubt something special about real face-to-face conversations in a nostalgic 1950s-era restaurant in the era of non-stop immediate communication.
