RJ’s on 5th Ave Bar & Grill plans to carry on Ralph Diaz’s legacy

Following in the footsteps of Ralph Diaz, the former manager of RJ’s on 5th Ave Bar & Grill in Ellendale who died in December, will be no easy feat.
But his brother, Louis “Louie” Diaz Jr., and his sister, Rose Goedtel, will try. They’ve taken over as owners and managers of the bar and restaurant.
Diaz said that Goedtel will be in charge of the finances and the behind-the-scenes work of the business, while he’ll be the daytime hands-on person.
Neither Diaz, who was a factory worker, nor Goedtel, who was a nurse, have worked at a bar before and he said not knowing the business has been the most challenging part of taking over for Ralph.
“She’s doing pretty well. but I’m still learning more and more about the business,” Diaz said. “Luckily, we have a very good team here. That helps a lot, especially since we don’t know the field like they do. They’ve all helped out a lot. Hopefully, we can keep this place going well so the community will be proud of us,” he said.
On top of benefitting the community, he also wants to keep the bar going in memory of Ralph.
“We need to keep it going for him and do as good as we can,” Diaz said.
One of their first orders of business will be fulfilling the plans that Ralph had for the bar.
“He had just built this patio and then he wanted to put a door in the wall [that would lead directly to the patio]. So I’m talking to people about getting the stuff done that he wanted done,” he said.
Diaz said he hopes to begin working on the door and a ramp from the door down to the patio in a couple of weeks. He also wants to enclose the patio with a fence but said he doesn’t anticipate that happening until 2022.
In addition to fulfilling Ralph’s plans for the bar, Diaz wants to keep growing the business as a way to repay the community for its financial support of Ralph’s medical bills.
“The community really helped us when we needed them. That was very impactful for us. That just showed how much he meant to the community,” Diaz said.
Diaz said he and Goedtel are also working on a couple of things around Ellendale to help the town and thank the community for its support.
“They’ve been so helpful that we’re going to try to return the favor,” he said.
Diaz Jr. and Goedtel want to keep the bar in business because of how much it meant to Ralph. He said the bar and grill meant everything to Ralph because he came from Ellendale and he wanted to see his hometown be successful.
“Small towns die off, so he wanted to keep the business here, keep it going and do what he could to keep the small town going. He just wanted success around here,” he said. “What Ralph wanted; we’re going to try to finish.”
RJ’s on 5th Ave Bar & Grill is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with the grill open until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, the bar is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the grill open until 5 p.m.