Staff Report
ANSONIA — The Whistle Stop, located in Ansonia, is about to spread their wings with its recent announcement of the acquisition of Chicken Kitchen II, formerly of Greenville.
Whistle Stop owner Andrew Riffle and Chicken Kitchen owners Kevin and Angela Beumer started talks in early July when they announced that the Thursday of fair week would be their last day of business.
“When I heard that Kevin was finally hanging his hat and retiring, I knew this would be a good opportunity to grow our business,” said Riffle. “They have a very large and loyal customer base, and I felt that if I could continue what he started it would be great for his customers as well as my own. I went and observed what they were doing there. It was quite amazing, the volume of business they had and the interaction between his family (including daughter Tiffany Kester) and their customers.”
Riffle said he also got the opportunity to sit down with Kevin and listen to the story of how the Chicken Kitchen got its start.
“His passion for his family, his customers and his business was very overwhelming,” Riffle said. “I even remember watching Kevin on WHIO his last day and how hard it was for him and how honored and privileged I felt that he has given me the opportunity to carry on this amazing tradition. I have big shoes to fill and I will not let him down.”
When Kevin was asked why he chose Riffle and his Whistle Stop business, he replied, “The Whistle Stop and Chicken Kitchen have a lot of similarities. They both have been in Darke County for many years and they both are mom and pop restaurants offering great food and service to their customers. My family and I have put many years of sweat and tears into this business and we really wanted to see it go to someone who would respect what we built, treat our customers right and lastly continue the tradition of serving great quality chicken. I am fully committed to making sure the recipe tastes the same and Andrew succeeds.”
Kevin added, jokingly “It will be nice to let someone else cook the chicken for me once.”
“This has been a secret for quite some time,” Riffle stated. “We had a lot of work to do to get ready for this huge project. We put a new hood in and installed the cookers. Kevin and Angela also worked with me hand-in-hand with ordering the supplies and setting the prices. We worked on training the employees and making work instructions. Kevin, Angela, and myself want this to go off without a hitch. I am so fortunate that they will be here for a good while to make sure everything goes well. That just shows you what kind of people they are.”
The Whistle Stop started selling chicken to their customers on April 4. Currently they will be offering chicken after 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday until the dust settles. Bulk orders can be requested to be ready at any time.
The Whistle Stop is located in downtown Ansonia and is open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information visit them online at www.whistlebarandgrill.com or call them at 937-337-4101.
