McAllister serves comfort food

. . . with a little sarcasm on the side!
By Marcie Klomp
News Editor
 
CRESCO - According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word “friar” means a member of a mendicant order (a religious order of men, especially Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans and Franciscans).
According to Fryer Mike (McAllister) it is a man who fries.
He has a very fitting nickname. It reflects that he is a fry cook (among other things) whose business is located in a former church.
He was given the moniker when he and his late wife, Pam, purchased the former Assumption Church. “When we first started, Oscar Jackson called us Sister Pam and Friar (Fryer) Mike.”
Over the years, McAllister’s has continued to grow, serving at funerals, weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, showers, confirmation and graduations, either at his place or yours.
But things changed in March 2020.
 
COVID-19
“This year we have had to reinvent the wheel,” McAllister said of his restaurant, McAllister’s.
Due to COVID-19, businesses have had their ups and downs. That is especially true of the restaurant industry.
In Iowa, the changes have been many and varied . . . take-out only, no buffets, eat-in with six foot distancing, wear a mask. The list goes on. Every time a new change took place, McAllister had to make adjustments.
When the “no buffet” order came down, McAllister had servers dish up the choices. When the six-feet distancing was ordered, he and his staff reconfigured the upper and lower dining areas to accomodate the regulations.
One of his bigger projects was to get new carpeting upstairs. The royal blue color brings out the stained glass windows.
“We just got going good again and thought we could see the light at the end of the tunnel . . . it was a train. And then the shutdown took place.”
When the county or state has seen a spike in coronavirus cases, the numbers for eat-in customers has declined. New modifications to the business were added.
 
Specials
To help boost those numbers, McAllister started a Wednesday Lunch to Go special from 11-1 for $8.00 plus tax! What a deal! It’s a great meal with yummy choices, such as hot beef or scalloped potatoes and ham; meatball or two-piece chicken; or hot beef or chicken pot pie! It comes with salad, a drink and McAllister’s famous scotcharoo! This is going well.
This is in addition to his regular specials, which include dine-in or carryout on Friday from 5-8 p.m., beer-battered cod fish, chicken or St. Louis-style ribs and all the sides.
Pizza is always a great take-home meal. It is available at McAllister’s on Wednesday through Friday and Sunday.
Unfortunately, he has had to cancel his Sunday brunch for the time-being. “It used to be, people would come before or after church, and now nobody is going to church,” he explained.
He has also lost out on at least 20-plus weddings as well as large funeral lunches. Some weddings have been rescheduled, but that doesn’t help the here and now.
Customers continue to come in for dine-in and many take-out meals. “When times are tough, people like comfort food. That’s what we do. Like Mom and Grandma made. It’s simple, basic Iowa food. It’s not a five-star thing.”
 
Holiday specials
McAllister’s does a good business on holidays. On Mother’s Day, he partners with Kiwanis for a lunch buffet. He did the same on Thanksgiving with Cresco Wildlife Club. “They need the funds, and I like to support them. This is what we do in Iowa . . . support each other.”
He is especially happy to give free meals for veterans on Nov. 11. “Veterans are the most appreciative people you’ll ever meet or feed.”
Upcoming holiday specials in December include a Christmas Eve pizza or 12-piece chicken dinner for $16.99. Christmas Day from 10-12, there will be chicken cordon bleu or roast beast. . .  errrr roast beef. 
Don’t look for any specials on Dec. 26-27. McAllister is like Santa. He needs a few days rest after the busy holiday!
 
What’s McAllister’s recipe for success?
Luckily McAllister enjoys cooking. But much of that comes from his late wife, Pam. He uses a combination of her recipes and his own.
He still uses her “Madrigal Bible” for the annual high school event. “She started keeping records on everything since 2005,” he said. In 2008, the couple purchased the former church property for her catering business. She passed away in 2011.
His wife Laura now helps in the business when she is able. She is an LPN at Winneshiek Medical Center.
One of McAllister’s secrets is having the proper equipment and keeping it maintained. He has 10 commercial ovens, 14 burners and four fryers. “One for fish, one for French fries and two for chicken. I want my French fries to taste like French fries and my fish to taste like fish,” he joked. Every three weeks, he uses 350 pounds of oil for those four fryers.
He also has ample coolers to stock up on supplies. The to-go containers and other supplies are more expensive since so many restaurants now do carry-out.
Even with all the stress of COVID-19 and the continuing threat of the state closing down his business, McAllister enjoys what he’s doing. “It’s fun to talk with the customers. Times are tough, but I joke a little and dish out some sarcasm on the side.”
 

Cresco Times

Phone: 563-547-3601
Fax: 563-547-4602

Address:
Cresco TPD
214 N. Elm Street
Cresco, IA 52136

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