Dairy Barn opens on Oswego’s Main Street

Dairy Barn opened its doors for the first time at 121 S. Main St. in downtown Oswego at 4 p.m. March 8.

The ice cream shop and restaurant’s location should be nostalgic for many area residents, as it sits on the site once the longtime home of the Dairy Hut.

With Dairy Barn open, Oswego area residents once again can enjoy old-fashioned ice cream and food items in a family-friendly setting, but with some adjustments that bring the experience to the modern day.

The Dairy Barn will be open year round, serving food and ice cream, providing entertainment for the whole family, and serving “adult” shakes and slushies.

The “Hut” had been a summertime institution on the village’s Main Street since 1962, when it opened as the Dairy Boat ice cream stand, but closed its doors permanently in the fall of 2019.

Shortly after, Imperial Investments LLC purchased and demolished the building, clearing the site for the Dairy Barn.

Partners Mike Mann and Rick Tollefson founded Turn 2 LLC in 2020, the business which operates Dairy Barn and neighboring restaurant 113 Main, which opened last fall.

Construction on the Dairy Barn began this time last year, and has been delayed several times due to what Mann said were COVID-19-induced supply chain issues.

After experiencing delays with ice cream machinery and HVAC equipment, they pushed back the opening date three times, but are now happy to be opening in time for spring, according to Mann.

The food menu will be limited at first, featuring classic American, kid-friendly food, like burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and fries, but will expand and change based on customer feedback.

The ice cream menu will have all the favorites: cones, shakes, malts and sundaes, but also will feature a “For the Big Kids” section with milkshakes and slushies for guests over 21.

There is a stage inside the new restaurant, with plans for Friday and Saturday night entertainment, magicians and story time for kids, and more projects down the road.

Mann said that while they wanted to make the Dairy Barn a year-round institution with a new business model, they also want those who enjoyed the Dairy Hut to feel like its tradition is being honored.

Mann said he had been a customer at the Dairy Hut for 42 years – since he was 7 years old – before it closed three years ago, and while he enjoyed the ice cream stand, its business model was no longer viable in today’s market.

“To the new residents coming in, this is going to be a great place to bring the family,” Mann said. “To those that are going to miss the Dairy Hut, so am I.”

There are plans for a wall of old photographs of the Dairy Hut by the entrance in the near future, and televisions playing classic cartoons with farm themes.

“We want to celebrate what this was,” Mann said, ”This is just something that brings it to the modern day.”

The Dairy Barn will seat up to 100 patrons inside and 50 outside, and staff has been training to open with seasonal hours.

Mann said that because many of the staff are in school, hours at first will be from 4 to 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., depending on the day, and are subject to change depending on staffing. Oswego residents should check the Dairy Barn’s Facebook page for up-to-date hours and information.

Dairy Barn is a short walk from the parking garage in Hudson Crossing, and the village has plans for 17 additional parking spots to be created on Main Street this summer. Village officials continue to work with the Illinois Department of Transportation to have traffic signals installed at the intersection of Main and Washington (Route 34) streets.