Newton Market and Cafe is developing a reputation as a lunch spot for locals

Kristene May cooks a couple of turkey sandwiches at the Newton Market and Cafe,

NEWTON – The Newton Market and Café, located at 10 E. Main St. in Newton, is a budding eatery in the northeast part of Cache Valley. The growing lunch crowd is a mix of locals, residents from Clarkston and Lewiston, truckers passing through and visitors from out of town.

Kristene May and her husband Joshua owners of the Newton Market and Cafe have been upgrading the market since they bought it 11 years ago.

Owners Joshua and Kristene May have been upgrading the market since they bought it 11 years ago. When the Mays happened on the store it was in bad shape.  They bought it and slowly fixed it up.

Husband Joshua was from Ohio, Kristene was from a small town – well actually the outskirts of one – Dunbee, Michigan, population near 5,000.

The market was pretty run down and the restrooms where pretty scary,” she said. “I came over to use the restroom when we were working on our house and almost fell through the floor.”

The first thing they did was clean it, rewire it and fix up the restrooms.

“When people came in and asked for something and I didn’t have it, I made a note and started to carry it,” May said. “As the customer base grew, we made more improvements.”

The Newton Market and Café, located at 10 E. Main St. in Newton, attracts a crowd during the lunch hour.

They started the café part of the market by introducing homemade Sloppy Joes using Kristene’s mother’s recipe. They quickly became a popular item, and still are.

The whole restaurant thing was done by trial and error,” she said. “I had never worked in a restaurant before.”

Mays made the decision to keep prices low, mostly because Newton is a farming community and they wanted a place for people to gather.

Kristene May prepares a Sloppy Joe for a customer during the noon lunch rush at the Newton Market and Cafe Friday.

They bought a gas grill, put it in the back and started cooking burgers and the menu expanded. They have a good selection of potato chips, adding a french fry cooker would take some major remodeling.

“The burgers are a big seller, but the grilled turkey, bacon ranch is right there with it,” May said. “Most days during the noon hour the place fills up.”

They make a lot of trips to town because they live in Newton. Not everyone delivers out there.

All of the May’s four children worked in the market/café.

Kristene May serves hamburgers and other food to a group of customers last Friday.

“If the kids wanted money, they knew how to get it,” she said. “They all worked here.”

Some of the crowd is seasonal. The reservoir is draw in the summer. Things can get slow as the weather cools.

I think this place is a benefit to the community,” May said. “I own the building, I don’t pay myself and anything extra goes into the business.”

When they bought the building she pictured people coming in the morning for coffee and staying to visit for a while.

“My goal was to make our meals affordable,” May said. “We have these ladies in their 70’s come in and sit, visit and giggle. I like having people like them come in.”

Kristene May waits on a customer at the Newton Market Friday. Her husband Joshua and her have been upgrading the market since they bought it 11 years ago.

The tables have historic photos on them that tell the story of the north end of Cache Valley in the Golden Years. The photos are great conversation starters. The photos came from Walton Feed and the USU online web site.

Besides the cafe, the market offers a wide variety of snacks, drinks, and groceries.

 

 

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4 Comments

  • LINDA RAE HOLLAND September 17, 2019 at 9:14 am Reply

    Way to go Kristine!!!

  • Ken September 17, 2019 at 12:01 pm Reply

    I love the Turkey Bacon Ranch sandwich!
    Newton Market One of the treasures of Cache Valley!

  • Paula Olsen September 17, 2019 at 2:07 pm Reply

    I think that’s a Good thing for NEWTON. I wish someone would open the restaurant in Paradise or a restaurant in Hyrum, besides fast food or always closed on Sunday THERE ARE VERY FEW RESTAURANTS YOU CAN GO OUT AS A FAMILY TO EAT ON A SUNDAY!!!??

  • Stevie Oldham September 19, 2019 at 6:58 am Reply

    Even for being Green Bay Packer fans , , , these people are down to earth, wonderful, friendly people that know how to make some real good grub ! ! !

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