Laura Harbaugh was about to open her store in March of 2000, there was just one question she needed to find an answer for. 

“How are you going to capture 600 people walking through your doors every day?” she said. 

Today, nearly any person from Southern Illinois, from college students to older couples to young kids, think of Harbaugh’s Cafe when they want breakfast in Carbondale. The restaurant sits on top of Carbondale’s illustrious “strip” downtown and is a hub for everyone to gather and eat some of the best breakfast food in town. 

“I wanted that student traffic, that’s for sure […] I wanted everyone to be able to get there, whether they had a car or not,” Harbaugh said. 

It’s been a long road for Harbaugh. She remembers working at a restaurant in the Chicago suburbs when she was 15 and people laughing at the idea of having her own restaurant. 

Years later, she went to school at SIU and worked as a server for many years. While she was serving at Quatro’s during her college days, she would often study the number of customers coming in every day to find out what it would take for a future restaurant of hers to make a profit. 

“If you do the math; and there are 200 people coming in here [Quatro’s] for a lunch, and I need 77 people to come in my store to break even, then I feel confident in my ability to make that happen,” Harbaugh said. 

After years of experience in the food business, she decided she wanted to give it a shot. 

“I just decided that I wanted to do it, and even if it didn’t work out, I’d have rather tried than always wondered what could’ve been,” Harbaugh said. 

Now her restaurant stands alone with a healthy amount of customers every single day. Harbaugh has proudly maintained her local restaurant for over 20 years, even surviving the near-deathtrap of the COVID lockdown. 

Recurring customer Jordan Kruse said Harbaugh’s is a frequent location his friends go to for a reason. 

“It has that authentic mom-and-pop feel. You get to Harbaugh’s and it just feels different,” Kruse said.

Harbaugh had opened up her restaurant with this idea in mind. She wanted to offer a place for college students to come, hang out and give them a break from their tough schedules. 

A large part of Harbaugh’s idea behind the store is making everyone feel included, no matter the differences. 

“You feel comfortable,” Harbaugh said, “Anybody can come in. If it looked super proper, you would alienate folks that would think they don’t belong there, which just isn’t true.” 

Harbaugh’s isn’t just known for the food, but the decor of the restaurant is truly unique. A light blue and yellow color scheme is evident on the inside and outside of the store. 

The inside is almost a hodge-podge of multiple restaurants put together. Nearly every table and chair is uniquely different from one another, and local art covers the inside walls. 

Harbaugh said the reason behind this quirky setup was budgetary reasons when she first opened. Over time, it resonated with the customers, and is now a significant part of Harbaugh’s charm. 

“Chairs come and go, and if a certain set gets discontinued, that’s 400 new chairs that I have to buy. Then, usually, it’ll be around 100 dollars a chair and that adds up quickly,” Harbaugh said. “So that’s why Harbaugh’s looks the way it does, and I think people really like it.” 

The staff works in a comfortable environment at Harbaugh’s. Server Stefania Del Rio said Harbaugh’s Cafe has the greatest environment she has ever worked at. 

“There’s just a lack of pressure. It’s pretty easy-going and, not that everything is the same, but there is a sense of regularity,” Del Rio said. 

Harbaugh made sure consistency was an emphasis between herself and her staff. Not just in regards to relationships, but also the work they put in each and every day. There’s no room for someone to come in who is not willing to give it their all. 

“While you are here, there is a level of professionalism that needs to happen. No games, no drama, no-nonsense. We’re here to get a job done, ” Harbaugh said. 

Although Harbaugh leads a tight ship, she provides plenty of advantages for her employees. 

“If you work hard and I know I can count on you, you will get the good shifts, and you will get more shifts, but you have to work hard,” Harbaugh said.

Being the store owner is no easy task, according to Harbaugh. She immediately gets to work, right at 8 a.m. after dropping her kids at school. 

Then, she works around the store as the morning rush comes in. Whether that be working the grill, helping seat tables or taking orders. 

After the morning rush leaves, she has time to do some financials in the back office, before coming back to the front in the late morning/afternoon rush from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Finally, she closes out her day doing prep for what tomorrow will bring, says goodbye to her employees around 3 p.m. then heads back home to be with her kids after a long day’s work. 

The blood, sweat and tears Harbaugh has poured into her store is why Harbaugh’s Cafe has been successful over so many years. 

“I’ve always been a hard worker. I’ve never been a ‘well that’s good enough’ type of person. I feel like that’s something we say all too much nowadays,” Harbaugh said. 

Harbaugh understands that it all trickles down. When she comes in with a smile every day, Del Rio is more willing to do her best, which means Kruse gets incredible service, then makes him want to return. 

“We have very good clientele here that are very respectful of our positions and how we manage to do our jobs. There are a lot of other restaurants (staff) that aren’t as lucky,” Del Rio said. 

Kruse said, “I’ve never heard anyone complain. I’ve never heard any bad reviews. Everyone that I know thinks it’s the best breakfast place in Carbondale.” 

Del Rio said Harbaugh has a lot of qualities that make her a great manager. She is a great role model for everyone on staff. 

“She’s been doing this for a long time, and you can really notice. Her personality and her work ethic are both things that have really helped me grow as a person,” Del Rio said. 

She also mentioned the story of Tanner, a homeless man that would come into Harbaugh’s Cafe every now and again. Del Rio said that every time Tanner wandered into the store, Harbaugh would offer him a free meal and a free t-shirt, on the house. 

Del Rio said her nice gestures towards the people around her have left an impact on the people she works with, and reminds them to always have perspective. 

At the end of the day, Harbaugh stands proud of what she has accomplished. She understands what Harbaugh’s means to Carbondale, and what Carbondale means to Harbaugh’s.

“Harbaugh’s and Carbondale go hand-in-hand,” Harbaugh said. “If there ever comes a time for me to move on from Carbondale, there will never be another Harbaugh’s anywhere else. Harbaugh’s is meant for Carbondale.”

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