Dom’s Café and Catering now serving in Downtown Humboldt

By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]

Humboldt, IA – A new restaurant is now open in the Humboldt Downtown Area across from the Humboldt Family Aquatic Center.

Dom’s Café and Catering located at 331 Sumner Avenue in Humboldt is open for business. The place is owned and run by Matt Dominick who does the majority of the work himself. He talks with KHBT about his new business.

He says that he always knew running his own business and “going to work for himself” was something he wanted to do. A lot of his family history is built in independent business. His mother runs a flower shop. His grandparents own a grocery store and his father also works for himself in rentals. Dominick says that he knew he always wanted to work for himself but his original idea was a food truck but COVID-19 changed the idea slightly.

Dominick says part of his thought process was the seven year age gap between him and his wife creating a need to fill time between his retirement and hers. This is why he thought a food truck would be the way to go. However circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and traveling along with the timing of acquiring his current building made him change course. He says he enjoys cooking for people and does it a lot down at the Humboldt Country Club and his church. “Good complements so it just kind of reinforced the idea of getting involved  in [the business].”

Dom’s Café and Catering serves a lunch special along with a made to order breakfast which was not part of Dominick original plan. “Originally I was really just thinking I was going to do a lunch” he says. While he was still in that “food truck mentality” he was just going to do the lunch special until it sold out. His mentality on lunch hasn’t change but he decided to add on the made to order breakfast. “I’m an early bird, I’m up four o’clock every day so get down here and get ready.”

Dominick does say that his menu for a little while could see some shifting and alterations while he learns his limits. He admits that his menu is “probably going to be ever changing for the next few weeks as I learn what I can handle.” The café is serving a made to order breakfast every day along with homemade biscuit and gravy on Tuesday and Thursday. Lunch is a daily special including an entrée and side Monday through Friday. Dominick says right now he’s preparing about 25 to 30 lunches a day but could increase that number as business increases.

Dom’s Café and Catering’s daily specials including the following:

  • Monday’s are pulled pork with baked beans and coleslaw.
  • Tuesdays are a hamburger with chips or a side salad.
  • Wednesdays are a smoked pork loin with cheesy potatoes and his wife’s “famous Arkansas” green beans.
  • Thursdays is a taco salad.
  • Fridays are a chicken quarter with pasta salad and a roll. Additionally

Dominick does offer beverages and coffee along with ice cream. He says that his menu is pretty set right now for the warmer months. He recognizes that in the colder months he might have to change it up when he can’t use his grill and smoker. Additionally he says he is still working out the catering menu as he learns what he can and can’t handle.

Dominick does confirm that he does most of the work at the café himself. While his family helps when they are available, from start to finish it usual is just him in there. He says the positive to this is there are no overhead costs but the down side can be the speed of service during the busier hours. He usually works about 12 hours a day which he says can go by pretty quick.

The building itself is ready to be operated out of but there is still work to be done. The owner says the front still needs “a face lift” going forward. He also is going to add a sign out front where there is already a post along the street. The concrete in front of the business is on the list of work to be done. Inside the café Dominick’s got most of the equipment he needs and an eight to 10 person dining area with additional seating outside.

Dom’s Café and Catering located at the intersection of Fourth Street North and Sumner Avenue in Humboldt is now open and ready to serve the community. The business is also on Facebook under Dom’s Café & Catering.