A much loved Waterloo cafe will soon be changing hands as the longtime owners fondly recall the memories and relationships brewed downtown over the years.

Jay and Lisa Jones recently announced their upcoming departure from Bean Tree Cafe at 219 S. Main Street after years of owning the business and over a decade of being active in its operations.

The couple have lived in the community since 1990, with all of four of their kids growing up and attending school in Waterloo.

Regarding their previous work, Jay worked for a company in St. Louis through his entire career, serving as HR director for 25 years up until his retirement from there in 2020.

Lisa previously worked at the Republic-Times for a time before stepping over to Waterloo High School for 13 years.

Their ownership of Bean Tree came about somewhat by happenstance. Themselves not drawn to running their own business, they were roped in by some longtime friends who moved back to the area around 2010.

One of them was particularly enthusiastic about running a local restaurant, frequently talking up the idea to the couple.

“It was really his dream of owning a restaurant, so he initiated conversations with the previous owner of Courthouse Cafe,” Lisa said. “They would say to us all the time, ‘Wouldn’t this be fun? Don’t you wanna do this with us?’”

Over the course of a couple months, Jay and Lisa got talked into the idea and joined as partners in the beginning.

They ultimately proved to be more inclined toward business ownership than they had previously thought. As their partners looked to retire in Florida, the couple bought them out and took full control of the business in 2015.

Lisa in particular had been quite active in Bean Tree’s operations from the start, being closely involved in the cafe’s initial renovations as well as the running of the business in the following years.

She recalled how she had been interested in the restaurant as it served as a major change in her career. With her kids all having graduated from WHS, her interest in working there had somewhat dwindled, and she was happy to dive into something new.

“It was just completely different than anything I’d ever done, and it was fun,” Lisa said. “It was very physical, but it was fun, it was exciting, it was new. I think I was pretty quickly hooked with all of that.”

The couple emphasized the positive as they discussed their experiences running a business downtown.

As they described, Bean Tree saw healthy growth and traffic throughout their ownership. Growth from 2015-2019 was rather steady, with a substantial uptick in business as the restaurant reopened following a closure in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also noted the energy they’ve seen within the business as they have hoped for members of their staff to look back on their time with Bean Tree positively.

In particular, they mentioned how folks in the kitchen will listen to music throughout the day, keeping peppy with Disney musicals or getting energized during a rush with some punk rock.

They spoke highly of Bean Tree’s many regulars, noting how the cafe’s baristas have been able to keep track of those regular orders.

Beyond just the repeat business, Jay and Lisa emphasized the community that they felt during their time operating the cafe.

Lisa, who has been especially active with the business’s management over the years, noted the friendships that have been established amid the chaos of running a restaurant.

“You get to meet so many people and make so many relationships,” Lisa said. “It’s a fun business. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a fun business.”

Jay, who many Bean Tree patrons will recognize as a friendly face around the cafe’s tables, likewise stressed the importance of relationships he’s made.

“We’ve met so many good people,” Jay said. “That’ll be my regret is all the people that I’m used to seeing all the time, I won’t see most of them. I’ll see some of them, but not most of them, and that’s the bitter part of the sell.”

Like with countless other businesses, the pandemic is a clear memory for the couple as they consider the years they’ve spent running Bean Tree.

As previously mentioned, they were able to see increased growth in the months and years that followed, but the initial period of the pandemic and COVID precautions was more than a little scary.

“It’s absolutely terrifying when you have to shut your business down and you still have employees that you want to take care of,” Lisa said. “It was very difficult. It was a whole new learning curve from how to do business.”

As they got things back up and running, they were met with a strong response from their regulars, largely thanks to the drive-up option that continues to be popular for folks looking to grab their morning coffee and get going.

“Especially during the pandemic, the community really supported us,” Jay said. “We opened the drive-up window and people just started buying food to go.”

With many strong years of business behind them, the couple had anticipated retiring when Lisa turned 65, though the plans moved up as they were contacted recently about selling the business and were happy to hand over the reins.

While they didn’t offer many details about who will soon be operating Bean Tree – simply saying they want them to be the ones to share that story – they did express high hopes for the business’s future.

“I’m really happy,” Jay said. “The new owners are gonna be good. They’re gonna appreciate the restaurant like we did.”

With a substantial amount of work handed over to managers in recent years, Jay and Lisa said they have already been able to enjoy trips and time away for some time, though they are looking forward to the further freedom that comes with retirement.

With 13 grandchildren, they anticipate that they’ll be keeping quite busy.

Even as they step away from the property, their presence will long be felt in the community they have helped create in downtown Waterloo.

“I could not have foreseen the community that would have come out of it,” Lisa said. “It feels like our own little community within this wonderful community of Waterloo.”