New ownership, old favorites in place at Leicht’s Waldo Café
Sheboygan County, WI – Among the main goals of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW-Green Bay are to supply keen insight, useful tools, and proven knowledge to assist budding entrepreneurs in realizing their business-ownership dreams. With the SCEDC and the SBDC at UW-Green Bay playing a key guiding role, Parnell native Christina Leicht, along with her husband Brad, who grew up in rural Sheboygan Falls, recently assumed ownership of the newly renamed Leicht’s Waldo Café, located at 235 North Depot St. in Waldo.
After earning her business management degree from Lakeland University and spending 28 years in the banking industry, including 25 years in service and sales management, Leicht found herself yearning to pursue her lifelong ambition of owning a business.
“For many years I've shared with my family and friends my desire to be a business owner,” Leicht said. “I often commented about opening and operating a cafe or coffee shop, yet it was never the right time in life. But, when I encountered some health concerns, I began to ponder what my next journey may be. Around that same time, I was made aware that a small café close to home was for sale. After a lot of soul searching and reflection, the decision was made to pursue the dream of becoming a business owner.”
“We finalized the sale on August 31st and closed for one week for a few updates,” she said. “Leicht’s Waldo Café opened for business on Tuesday, September 8th.” Longtime Waldo Café customers will be comforted to learn that the restaurant’s familiar menu has been left basically intact following the ownership change. Christina has chosen to keep a similar menu to what the previous cafe offered, offering American-style food and a full menu cooked to order.
Leicht’s Waldo Café strives to offer freshly prepared favorites in a laid back, friendly atmosphere. “Our vision and what we believe sets us apart is the feeling of home,” Leicht said. “The goal is to provide a warm, welcoming atmosphere that allows for customers to relax and just enjoy the moment with family, friends or even by themselves.”
According to Leicht, SCEDC and SBDC at UW-Green Bay Business Counselor Ray York has gone the extra mile to help make the ownership transition roll off as smoothly as possible. “The SCEDC has impressed me from the first communication I sent inquiring with questions about purchasing a restaurant,” Leicht said. “Over the course of many months, Ray York was extremely responsive and provided me with a wealth of information and resources to use during my research in making sure we were on the right path of business ownership.
“This information was also invaluable as I wrote our business plan and financial forecast,” she said. “Whenever I was looking for information or had questions, Ray was with me every step of the way. I truly believe Ray and the SCEDC value every partnership they have with new and current clients.”
Leicht’s Waldo Café is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, as well as Saturday and Sunday, and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. The Cafe has approximately five to six full-time employees, including, wait staff, host and/or hostess, cook and prep staff, and cleaning crew.
For more information about SCEDC entrepreneurial services, email York@SheboyganCountyEDC.com or call (920) 946-9379.
##
The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) is a countywide private/public partnership, leading economic development efforts to improve the economic wellbeing and long-term prosperity of the businesses, residents and communities of Sheboygan County, through collaborative retention, expansion and attraction efforts for business and employment development. The SCEDC leverages a variety of tools available to encourage business growth and job creation. Key performance indicators tapped by SCEDC track and measure businesses assisted and resources leveraged. By applying many tools to assist businesses and communities and help them succeed, SCEDC achieves increased economic prosperity for Sheboygan County.
