Business Type Restaurants (Food Service and Drinking Places)

NAICS Code 722

Location 12 S. Industrial Park Rd., Deerfield, WI, WI 53531

Nearby Businesses Sweet Lips, Dock Drop, and Club Cuda

Owner/Manager Randy Mueller

Special Store Activities Live music

Year Opened 2005

Website

Phone 608-764-2736

E-mail

Community Profile Deerfield, WI Community Profile: Population of City – 1,971. Population of 10-mile ring – 33,036. Situated amidst beautiful Glacial Drumlin hills, Deerfield is 10 minutes east of Madison and 5 minutes west of the Cambridge/Lake Ripley and Lake Mills/Rock Lake areas. The popular Glacial-Drumlin Recreational Trail runs through downtown connecting Deerfield to Cottage Grove and Waukesha.

Products Sold & Niche Developed

The Cuda Café is a smoke-free gourmet coffee shop and deli located in a renovated tobacco warehouse, conveniently on the Glacial Drumlin Trail. Co-owner Randy Mueller noted that, “What started out as a place for riders to stop in and get a power bar and a bottle of water, evolved into something more.” Expanding the business to take advantage of the need for more downtown restaurants in Deerfield helped it evolve into a full-service café and an “uptown” music venue on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Market Segments Served

Service related businesses such as equipment rental, gift shops, and in this case, restaurants often spring up near mixed-use trails. For some trail riders, the café is an attractive stopping-off point, for others it is a place for groups to convene before or after a ride. Cuda Café’s location on Main Street in the heart of downtown Deerfield attracts a healthy crowd for lunch and on weekends.

Contributions to the Business Community

The evolution of the Cuda Café shows how a trailside business can create a lively atmosphere, bringing customers to a downtown, generating potential spillover to neighboring businesses. Also, the Café’s ownership is eager to participate in more community building efforts around the trail. Events such as the “Great Midwest Run,” which took place on the Glacial Drumlin Trail, create opportunities for the Café to reach out to more potential patrons.