Celtic Thistle

By Nate Legue

BusinessRockford.com

Celtic Thistle

Owner/top executive: Bryce Cassel

Address: 104 Main St., Rockton

Telephone: 815-624-0222

E-mail: brycestir@yahoo.com

Opened: Dec. 1, 2007

Products and services: Steaks, filets and seafood grilled over wood-burning fire or cooked in wood-burning oven. Sandwiches, specials and a new soup and stew every day.

Why did you get into this business? I just was held back as far as my creativity at the last place I cooked. So I decided to open my own place. We get pretty creative up here. We have a different potato every day: gourmet potatoes, smashed red potatoes, balsamic vinegarette potatoes, sweet potatoes, baked potatoes. Not many places offer what we offer. We don’t even own a fryer here, and I’ll never own one.

What advice can you offer others who are thinking of entering the business? Do a lot of thinking and preparing as far as the costs of everything, the money you have at hand. You’re going to have to put in a lot of time before you’ll be seeing any profit. That’s what I’m kind of doing now. We’re not losing money, but we’re not making what we will in a year or two.

How has your business grown since opening? It’s phenomenal on the weekends. The weekdays are hit or miss. It is the time of year where it’s going to be like that.

Where do you see your business in the next five years? I’d like to open another branch in possibly Rockford or Roscoe. Something a little bigger and able to do banquet-sized meals.

What is most satisfying about your business? The response of the customers. They’re really happy that I’m here. They don’t want me to go anywhere. They’re happy with the prices, happy with the food. You kind of create something, it’s just like art. If people appreciate it, it’s that much better.

What is most challenging about your business? Probably being in a smaller town and trying to gather customer clientele. We’re doing a little bit of advertising with the Rockford paper, a few Beloit and area papers. It seems to help a little bit. Weekends are reservation only. If I could get the weekday clientele up, that would be good.

To nominate a business for Snapshot!, send candidate’s name, place of employment and phone number to Rockford Register Star Business Desk, 99 E. State St., Rockford, IL 61104; fax 815-987-1365; e-mail nlegue@rrstar.com.

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