Drivers along South Market Street in Waterloo are bound to have noticed a new dining option which opened its doors recently, providing guests with a healthy meal and a comfortable, modern atmosphere.

Salt + Honey Bistro was largely created and is partly owned by Sarah Quernheim, who also owns Burnt Silk along with her sister as well as Simple Slate Photography.

As Quernheim recalled, work toward Salt + Honey began about a year ago, but the idea for her restaurant had been brewing for some time.

She and her husband Patrick – who is also part-owner of Quernheim Funeral Home – live fairly close by the property at 610 S. Market Street and would often comment on the building’s disuse in recent years as they drove past.

“He and I both have this affinity to restore things, and so for years, whenever we would drive past it, I was like ‘Man, that’s such a cool spot. It’s so sad that they don’t do anything with that,’” Quernheim said.

While they entertained the idea of purchasing it and putting the property to good use, the logistics of such a project always seemed to be a bit more than they could handle up until last year.

“I guess the older we got and the more we started learning about investing and all that kind of stuff, it just became more of a reality of doing something with it,” Quernheim said.

She recalled meeting with several investors and talking with the owner who had been looking into letting the building go. 

As Quernheim described, everything just seemed to fall into place.

Plans for Salt + Honey really got underway in March 2023, with the project breaking ground early in June.

From construction to renovation to decorating, Quernheim said work on the restaurant continued right up until the soft opening on April 29.

Quernheim spoke about her inspiration for Salt + Honey, saying the business is looking to stand out among other options in Waterloo by emphasizing more health-oriented food.

“Waterloo has a lot of dining options, but there’s not a lot of lighter, healthier options, so that was an important thing for me,” Quernheim said. “I have three kids, and I’m a busy mom. I’m also actually gluten-intolerant, and so for me to find a healthy salad or sandwich with gluten-free bread, it doesn’t exist in Waterloo. That was all really important to me that a busy mom could pop in and quickly get a salad or something on the healthier side and not for a million dollars.”

As she explained, the menu was also heavily determined by the building’s lack of heavy-duty equipment many other restaurant kitchens feature.

Quernheim said the tremendous cost of installing fryers and other major heating elements requiring vents was simply too much, and thus the emphasis for the menu was instead placed on fresh and healthy offerings.

She also noted the restaurant features a beer and wine selection. This is one of the big reasons, she said, Salt + Honey is open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

The aesthetics and atmosphere of the restaurant were also very important for Quernheim, who said Salt + Honey is meant to provide a casual environment where, for example, folks might come and stay to get some work done.

Emphasized in the business’ name, Salt + Honey is a bistro, more comfortable than a typical sit-down restaurant but still standing apart from a cafe.

“That’s kind of the word, it’s more bistro instead of diner or cafe,” Quernheim said. “It’s got a little bit more of a modern flair. It’s a cute spot to meet for lunches or to bring clients for meetings. It’s accessible and a good value, but it’s also aesthetically pleasing.”

In the two weeks since doors opened, Salt + Honey seems to have received a substantial amount of attention from the community, with the parking lot and nearby spots along the road often taken up throughout the day.

Quernheim said the bistro’s “pick two” menu option has been a big success, with folks being able to try out two items from the soup, salad or sandwich menus.

Salt + Honey’s latte has also proven very popular. She said folks have particularly praised the drink for a nice blend of sweetness and salt.

With this popularity, Quernheim pointed out that parking – suggested by some prior to the restaurant’s opening to be a big issue – hasn’t been a much of a problem.

“While I know that we’re always packed and the cars are parking on the road and stuff, I think people didn’t realize that we do have 22 spots here, and so I think the parking situation has been less daunting than people thought it was going to be,” Quernheim said.

With a successful first two weeks now past, Quernheim said the response to her business has been quite positive, with folks saying the bistro runs as though it’s been open for a long time.

She offered her thanks to the roughly 25 people on staff – particularly the managers who have over 50 years of combined experience in the restaurant industry.

Looking beyond this solid start, Quernheim said there are a number of additions and changes she hopes to make to the business.

Chief among these changes are the operating hours, as she plans to change the regular weekday hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting May 27 as folks haven’t been coming in prior to 7 a.m. so far while some have indicated a desire to stick around later in the evening.

She also mentioned plans to add weekly specials, a monthly soup, seasonal coffee drinks, as well as other feature items on the menu.

Aside from the menu, Quernheim also touched on her hopes to offer live music down the line, making good use of the building’s event space.

“We’re never gonna settle for mediocre, so we’re always listening, we’re always ready to adjust serving sizes, pricing,” Quernheim said. “We really want to be the best of the best when it comes to value, quality, all that. We are always going to be evolving to serve our clients the best we can.”

Salt + Honey Bistro is currently open at 610 S. Market Street Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. – changing to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 27 – Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 12-4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, including a menu, visit saltandhoneywaterloo.com.