A new taste for downtown

After 15 years located just off Bridge Street in Owatonna, Torey’s Restaurant & Bar decided to make a move to downtown when the opportunity to scoop up a good location fell into their hands.
“The possible opportunity for this building was available and we talked about it and slowly pursued it and it just became a reality,” owner/chef Torey Statlander recalled of the decision. Renovation and construction work on the building began last March, and the restaurant at the new location opened its doors to the public on Dec. 1.
It was not easy to convert a building that had been designed for a hardware store into a restaurant complete with a banquet hall, bar, dining area, and kitchen, but they made it work, and brought along a lot of the old flavor from their first building. “We had a lot of challenges, but we had a great team and great contractors,” Statlander said of the move.
Now Statlander and his team can count themselves as members of Owatonna’s resurgent downtown. “We’re happy to be here, and we’re getting additional opportunities to cater events like weddings or large business meetings,” he said.
Statlander explained that the previous building didn’t have a big enough banquet hall space to do large-scale on-site catering jobs, something this new building provides. “It’s nice to do stuff in-house, and we can do a lot more options for people who are holding events,” he added. 
Although Torey’s will still provide off-site catering, this gives them a steady place to schedule events just a few steps from their kitchen, which means they can provide their clients with more catering options. “We can’t always do everything off-site, and plus it helps with working around the weather and hauling equipment around,” Statlander said.
There is also the added benefit of more parking space, something which gave Statlander and his team another reason to look into a possible move to the new building. “There’s a lot more parking space here,” he added.
While it is a bit of a new look, Statlander and his team have kept the cozy atmosphere that customers have always known while helping to become part of the revitalization effort being sparked in downtown Owatonna. “It’s a chance for us to keep business in town,” he said of the opportunity to become part of the effort.
“It’s not just going to help us but it’s going to help the other stores in town as well,” Statlander said of what a new presence can bring to the downtown space. “It’ll help all of the businesses around. The more opportunities for people to shop and dine, and eat, that’s going to help people stay in town,” he continued, adding, “it’s just going to help everybody.”
Statlander said that he and his wife have found themselves frequenting many of the downtown stores and shops. “It’s fun to keep things growing, the more options we have the more we can keep people in downtown and keep shopping close,” he said.
“We want people to stop by so they can see what we have to offer,” Statlander said. 
Torey’s Restaurant & Bar is located at 208 N Cedar Ave. in Owatonna and provides fine dining and a relaxed atmosphere.