Professor and Student Team Up to Open Restaurant

Are you looking to add some variety to your college diet? Although we all love Ramen Noodles and Easy Mac every now and then, UW-L Professor Vivek Pande and fellow student Don Greengrass, the co-founders of Greengrass Café, believe they have created a refreshing change of pace.

Located across the street from Cartwright Center at 1904 Campbell Road, The Greengrass Café has one goal in mind: to make the restaurant enjoyable for anyone that appreciates good food. The dynamic duo of Don and Dr. Pande have suited their restaurant to entertain customers of all ages. Children have the option of playing with toys offered at the door, or even watching cartoons on one of the many flat screens that line the walls. Although college students and older will find cartoons entertaining, the restaurant is equipped with a full bar to appeal to the mature crowd. This colorful splash of a restaurant, whose 35-plus employees are mainly UW-L students and ex-students, places emphasis on ordering good food from local businesses: “We have the highest quality of food,” says Dr. Pande, “and price it about as rock bottom as we can.”

While being a full-time Business Management and Marketing student, as well as an on-call employee at all times, student Don Greengrass remains excited for the opportunity. Greengrass grew up in the neighborhood, and has always had aspirations of starting a restaurant. Upon enrolling in one of Dr. Pande’s business law classes, Don and Vivek have developed a long-lasting friendship that has since turned professional. This unique combination of lively personalities believe their extensive experience working in the food industry has prepared them for the challenge, a challenge they are more than willing to accept. Their idea is simple: to eliminate a specific target market and create an accurate depiction of life in La Crosse, bringing the community together under one roof.

Although Greengrass Café has become a sight for sore eyes, the past 8 months have been anything but a piece-of-cake. These business partners renovated the building entirely, as a full construction project was necessary to get the place up and running on August 26^th. The restaurant plans to establish a clean, crisp, and colorful identity, something that could give them a leg up on competitors. With the failure rate of restaurants being roughly 60% now-a-days, it’s all a matter of the competition: something Don isn’t too frightened by. “Personally, the more competition there is, the better,” he said, “I like competition, it breeds excellence.”

Melanie Tatge, a graduate student at UW-L and first-time customer at Greengrass Café, was pleased with her experience: “I really liked the atmosphere. I love that it’s so close to campus so I can go and get breakfast before class.” This is exactly what Dr. Pande believes will be a catalyst for the restaurant’s success: “come and eat at a place which is owned by one of your colleagues,” he said, “If you have a study group or project group, why not meet here over breakfast?”