ERIN, Wis. — Holy Hill Basilica made changes to the café located inside its historic walls to attract more customers during the off-season.
Local farmer Joe Hertal informed TMJ4's Washington County reporter Marcus Aarsvold about the changes via social media in the hopes of bringing in more local produce to serve customers.
Holy Hill Executive Director Bryan Michaels said they're updating the café's equipment by adding an espresso machine, locally sourced coffee beans, and produce. The menu offers new sandwiches, desserts, and other food products made fresh instead of store-bought.
"We realized that there is no way we can operate Holy Hill without the café," Michaels said. "The café is such an integral part of what we do here."
The former café manager left for a new position elsewhere, so Michaels decided it was time to make some changes and hired new managers.
"Before this, we were relying on a lot of high school kids, and when our busiest season would start, they'd have to go off to school," he said. "They're involved in sports, and they're not available. It really hindered us in our ability to provide a quality experience every time."
The new management opened the café five days a week instead of only three, as it was previously, and they are baking scones, pies, and muffins fresh.
"We're always evolving," barista and farmer Hertel said. "We're trying to evolve the menu, create new items, and are looking at bringing in more products."
By spring, the goal is to be open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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