Help Put the “Stay” in Station House Cafe

The Station House Café has been a fixture in downtown Point Reyes Station since its founding in 1964.  Since then, one thing remains constant: It is a beloved gathering place for locals and visitors of all ages. How many of us had our first job at Station House?  Celebrated a birthday? Stopped by for a donation to our favorite charity?

Following challenges with their lease in the spring, owner Sheryl Cahill announced the café would be closing permanently at the end of May 2020. An enormous outpouring of support and kindness followed the announcement...phone calls, emails, texts, letters...Sheryl and her team felt the love.  

One of those phone calls changed the destiny for the business and its many employees: An offer to move back to its original location! Sheryl looks forward to welcoming friends and neighbors – patrons new and old – to continue to enjoy the hospitality and traditions of Station House Café. “We want to cook your burger just the way you like it.  We want to bring a basket of piping-hot popovers to your table. We want to see the kids in baseball uniforms, dirt on their knees, enjoying a celebratory meal with their families; we want to welcome their kids someday, too. We have a chance to re-envision our Station House world and keep the good times rolling in this new/original location. We couldn’t be happier.”

Heading back to its roots, the Station House Café is preparing to relocate to its original place on the corner of Third & Main Streets.

Sheryl Cahill has a long history with Station House Café having spent the better part of the past 30 years at the helm.  It was an amazing opportunity to have been able to purchase the restaurant in 2005 and she hasn’t looked back since.

It was Sheryl’s first restaurant job at The Mountain Home Inn that would set the stage for her long career in the local restaurant “scene”.  At the age of 22, Ms. Cahill found herself living in Bolinas in the early 1980’s.  The Mountain Home Inn was hiring and despite having zero restaurant experience, as good fortune would have it, the hiring manager was French and Sheryl had just returned from Paris.  That’s all it took to get the job: A little parlez-vous and a vague memory of having watched the 1970’s sitcom "Alice".  One thing led to another and by early 1990, Sheryl was working at The Station House Café.

She went on to manage the restaurant until 1998 when she left to pursue a degree in Anthropology at U.C. Berkeley.  “My goal has always been to seek and produce meaningful work that can have a positive impact on the lives of people and the environment we inhabit”, says Cahill.  

This commitment has especially been evident since the onset of Covid-19.  Her primary concern has been to keep the business going and maintain job security for dozens of employees. It hasn’t been easy.

Like most restaurants, Station House has struggled financially throughout 2020.  

A message from Sheryl:

"We have the people:  Our staff members who have cooked for you and served you for decades are on board to follow us wherever we go. The musicians who have made Sundays – and any day – special for decades are on board to follow us wherever we go. Our patrons who have sent heartfelt messages from around the globe – and especially from around the block – have cheered us on and wished that a new chapter would be in our future, that this would not be the end of Station House Café.

The wish has come true and we have this amazing opportunity to create that future but it will take a bit of a “barn raising” to see it through. We need you.

The impacts of Covid-19 on a global scale and in our community has been astounding. The timing for our business was particularly difficult as it hit just at the end of winter, with winter savings nearly spent. PG&E outages; The Woodward Fire; shelter-in-place orders and dining room closures consumed the remainder of available funds, including funds earmarked to facilitate the move.

What we are asking: That you consider investing in a future experience at Station House Café by participating in this “barn raising” today. "

Here's how you can help:

In just one typically busy summer week, Sheryl says Station House could serve about 3,000 guests.  If each of those guests could imagine returning in the future, then an investment now could really make a difference.

Property owners at the new/old location have been kind and generous in their support.  They will be doing much of the necessary work to prepare the space but there is going to be a significant expense that falls on the restaurant as well.  For example, most of the equipment they currently have will not work in the new configuration.   There will be permits, fees, construction, equipment and more all adding up to a daunting six-figure range.  The project is expected to be completed in late-Spring 2021.  In the meantime, the lease on their current location has been extended and they will continue operating there as long as possible until the move.

Let’s work together to keep this beloved, local institution alive.

For information on how you can help, visit stationhousecafe.com or send your check to: Station House Café | P.O. Box 268 | Point Reyes Station, CA    94956 | Attn: Relocation Fund