Dave Holt and his wife Traia took over Backwaters Bar and Grill off Highway 47 north of Rhinelander in April.
“It’s been going fantastic. It’s a steep learning curve. There’s a lot learn, a lot that you can’t know until you just to do it,” said Holt.
Holt says there’s been a few bumps along the way, but they’ve been enjoying being first time business owners.
One of the things they’ve been most proud of is the opportunities to give back to the community.
“We sponsored a little league team. It gave us a great sense of pride and being part of the community,” he said.
They’ve also supported NATH and Frederick Place with fundraisers and free meals.
Given this desire to give back, continuing the previous restaurant owner’s tradition of giving out free meals near Thanksgiving just made sense.
“We both thought it was a fantastic idea,” said Holt.
For those who sign up ahead of time, Backwaters will offer a 2 piece broasted chicken, baked potato, cranberry sauce, green beans , a dinner roll and dessert meal.
Given it’s their first year doing it, Holt says it may not be serving as many meals as they’d like.
“We certainly hope in the future to make our contribution to his larger. We are contributing, but it will not be as big as we’d hoped just simply because it’s the first year that we’re in business. The first year of any business is pretty tight,” he said.
People or businesses that would like to donate funds for the meals can contact Backwaters.
You can call the restaurant at (715) 369-5645 or message them on Facebook.
Holt says the more donations they get, the more meals they can make.
For those that know of people or groups that could use the free meals, you should also contact Backwaters as soon as possible.
Pick up will be between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23rd.
