River
When you walk through the door at Coffee on the River in Lansing, Iowa, you’re immersed in a feeling of historic warmth. Giant grain hoppers – original to the building, a former grain elevator – hang down from the ceiling between impressive wood beams, surrounded by thick stone walls. Built in the 1800s, the unique character and charm carry over into the personalities of the owners, sisters Wendi Wilson-Eiden and Diana Wilson-Thompson. Since September 2019, they’ve been welcoming locals and visitors alike into this must-see space.
The sisters had always wanted to be business partners and talked about their dream for Coffee on the River for years. They both love coffee as well as the community and camaraderie of a cafe and wanted to create that warmth and fellowship themselves.
Coffee on the River isn’t just aesthetically pleasing; it’s logistically important. To find another coffee shop, you’d need to travel 45 minutes in any direction, making Coffee on the River a caffeination necessity. But Wendi and Diana aren’t just serving up great coffee – they’ve got an amazing food and bakery menu, too. Serving both breakfast and lunch, Wendi, the menu mastermind, likes to rotate items seasonally. It’s no understatement to say that Wendi and Diana have created the “place to be” in small-town Lansing.
But like it does, life happened. Wendi was home with her children for 20 years in the Twin Cities while Diana lived in New Ablin, building a career as a nurse. And when Wendi found herself battling cancer, they set the dream aside. It seemed like the stars just weren’t aligned. Then, the building in Lansing became available.
“When I found this building,” says Diana, “I didn’t want to say anything to Wendi until I knew I could get things figured out. I just didn’t want to be let down.” But she knew it was just the place. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful spot right on the river near the bluffs.”
When the building was secured, the work of bringing the dream to life began – building out the spaces, working with a roaster to create their special coffee blend, planning menus, and more. The kitchen and coffee bar, situated at the back of the historic building because of the grain hoppers out front, are often staffed by additional members of the family: Wendi’s two adult daughters, Kenna and Rhissa. The oldest, Rhissa, manages the kitchen and makes all the delicious baked goods. Wendi is often in the kitchen alongside her, feeling right at home. “I started cooking as soon as I could push a chair to the stove!” she laughs. “Diana and I both have strengths and weaknesses, so I’m in the kitchen for the most part, and Diana does a lot more of the bookwork and paperwork and that kind of stuff,” Wendi says. “That allows me to be more creative in the kitchen.”
One of her favorite ways to express that creativity and create community is through Coffee on the River’s special dinner nights, generally scheduled every four to six weeks. Recently Wendi did a “forest and forage” theme with mushroom and poultry dishes. Other dinners are even five-course meals.
“We’ve been doing dinner nights for about five years now,” Wendi says. “We had so many people who wanted to join, we had a waiting list. Then we’d have pages of people who just wanted to be called every dinner. So we have a lot of repeat offenders,” she says with a laugh. They’ve since moved to serving these special meals two nights to accommodate more interested diners. “It gives people a chance to go out to a really nice meal,” says Wendi. “People appreciate getting that caliber of food without having to drive to Dubuque or La Crosse or Minneapolis.”
During the day, patrons will find that the lunch menu shifts seasonally, but breakfast sticks with regular fan-favorites like the breakfast flatbread, the sausage wrap with caramelized mushrooms, and the “Green Eggs and Hammy Sammy.”
Being sisters in business is a balancing act and so far, Wendi and Diana have managed to keep bickering to a minimum. But there are days where they’re “stomping around a little,” they share, laughing. “I think that kind of comes with the territory of, you know, working closely with a family member,” says Wendi. Overall, they enjoy the togetherness. They even live across the street from each other, which they lovingly call “convenient and annoying.” They try to keep the work at work when they can, making time to get dinner together and talk about anything except their business.
Wendi and Diana also lend their time to local committees to help promote their town, preserve its beauty, and bring business to the area. They know the value of banding together for the sake of their shop and others, helping with Makers on Main (a local art festival), Lansing beautification projects, and more. Together with the community, Coffee on the River survived the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic fallout and made it through severe flooding in 2023.
Now, with the Lansing bridge closed until spring 2027, they’re gearing up for yet another challenge. “We try to put our best foot forward. We’re always happy and smiling – customer service is huge for us,” Wendi says. And luckily, Coffee on the River has “really fabulous customers,” Wendi continues, as well as the trifecta of a beautiful location, fantastic coffee, and phenomenal food. This combination helped get them through difficult times in the past, and hopefully, those ahead.
In the meantime, Wendi and Diana have plans for more dinners, as well as future entertainment offerings, like an open mic night and maybe a comedy night. And of course, they’ll keep brewing their delicious coffee and sharing the warmth of their shop with regulars and newcomers alike. “Don’t forget about our little community here in Lansing,” Wendi says. “Grab your girlfriends for lunch, do some shopping, look around town. There are some really unique things here and it’s a great place to spend the day.”
Sara Walters
Sara Walters is based in La Crosse and has been a contributor to Inspire(d) since 2018. She highly recommends ordering the sausage wrap for breakfast at Coffee on the River.
