KIMBALL -- A Colorado family has brought a new restaurant to Kimball – Heritage Cafe. 

The Cafe took the place of Karen’s Kitchen located at 214 S. Walnut St. 

The grand opening was July 11, and Owner Debra O'Conner says they had a much bigger turnout from the community than they expected.  

O’Conner and five of her family members are running the restaurant, and the response from the community was so big in just the first few days that the family realized they will need to hire outside help. 

“We’re excited to be here; we’re dedicated to this,” O’Conner said. “We want to make it a good place for Kimball and make it part of the community.” 

The family has worked in the restaurant business for quite some time, but this is the first time they have owned a restaurant.  

O’Conner says it has always been her dream to open her own restaurant. Her mother, who passed away last year, didn’t want her to give up on her dream, so the family made it happen even when they thought they wouldn’t. 

“The door opened just at the right time,” O’Conner says. “We feel like God opened those doors, and we’re definitely blessed.” 

O’Conner moved to Kimball and plans to stay the rest of her life, and more of the family plans to move from Colorado soon. The family has visited Kimball quite a bit, and last year saw that Karen’s Kitchen was selling, so they went through the process and was able to buy it.

O’Conner says, “We've come a long way to be able to do this, and we really want it to be the best that people will be talking about and wanting to come back with friends and family.” 

They are getting shirts that have their family moto printed on it, which is: “Every family has a story, welcome to ours.” 

The cafe serves American breakfast and lunch, including Tex/Mex dishes. 

A few menu items they make from scratch include biscuits and sausage gravy, chimichangas, and Mexican Rice. 

Heritage Cafe is open Wednesday – Sunday from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. As they hire more help, they plan to expand their hours and services. O’Conner says they are looking into offering delivery and catering. They do currently offer take-out. 

“We just want to make Kimball great as it expands,” O’Conner said. “We are happy to be here.”