Kelli’s Kitchen is ready to serve hungry patrons morning, noon and night

Rich Palzewic

Staff

December 9, 2024

MEDFORD – Wanting to offer an option in Medford for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Kelli Zimmer, owner of Kelli’s Kitchen (125 S. 8th St.), said now was the perfect time to open such an establishment.

“There are two or three other restaurants (in Medford), but we’re open all day, and the other ones are not,” she said. “We get the people who come in at night because nobody else around is open that late.”

Zimmer said Kelli’s is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

“For the past few weeks, my boyfriend, Tony, and I have been here from 5:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily,” she laughed. “Obviously, we’re hoping that maybe as things get going and more established, we can back off a day or two a week.”

To officially open Kelli’s for business, Zimmer, along with family, friends, staff, ambassadors from the Medford Chamber and Tony, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month.  

“It was pretty short and sweet,” Zimmer said. “We cut the ribbon and went back to work.”

If the first few weeks of business are any indication, Zimmer said she thinks things will go well – now and into the future.

“So far, I couldn’t be happier about how things are going,” she said. “It’s been really special to open. This is something Tony and I worked hard on for quite a while. We were hoping to open back in July or August, but that didn’t happen. So, to finally open in November, it’s been really nice.”

Zimmer said “a few things didn’t line up” to open this past summer.

“We were just waiting on the bank and a health inspection,” she said. “When you’re dealing with the process of opening a new business, there are a lot of things you have to do and get in line.”

Zimmer said Kelli’s can seat about 100 patrons – “it’s a pretty big space.”

“Currently, we employ three cooks, one dishwasher and about 18 waitresses,” she said.

A “very popular” option, Zimmer said, is Kelli’s Kitchen’s all-day options.

“Who doesn’t love breakfast at 6 p.m.?” she laughed.

Zimmer said she would describe Kelli’s as a full-service, sit-down, American-style restaurant.

“In addition to serving breakfast all day, we have wraps, burgers, steaks, pasta, all of that,” she said. “We also have daily specials.”  

From Ladysmith to Medford

Zimmer said her journey to opening Kelli’s began three years ago when she started working as a waitress at the Ladysmith Family Restaurant.

She said she has always enjoyed creating bonds with customers.

“You have those regular customers who come in every day, and you become family with them,” she said. “And then Tony was cooking there as well, and we just knew we could (start our own restaurant) together. It was always a dream of mine.”

Not only did she sharpen her skills as a waitress in Ladysmith, Zimmer said she also furthered her education.

“After high school, I earned an associate’s degree in business management,” she said. “This combination of hands-on experience and formal education solidified my dream of owning my own restaurant.”

Meanwhile, an hour away from Ladysmith in Medford, Zimmer said the building where Kelli’s now operates became available.

“We knew somebody in Ladysmith who knew the landlord for this building, and they connected us to him,” she said. “That was in the middle of May.”

Though the building was a former Mexican restaurant before Zimmer moved in, she said a lot of work had to be done – inside and outside.

“On the inside, we had to replace a lot of things,” she said. “We replaced some doors, we had to put all the kitchen equipment in, all the booths, all the tables, basically everything. It was just the structure, so we had to put everything in. That’s another reason it took us a little bit of time to open.”

Zimmer said some work had to be done outside as well.

“We painted some green on (the building) because my logo colors are green,” she said. “We had to get new signs and hang them – that’s about it. In the future, we’re going to do more on the outside as well. The building on the outside looks older because it used to be an old hotel or motel. The roof is something that needs work done. We’re also going to put a sidewalk around the back. It’s mainly cosmetic issues.”

For more information on Kelli’s Kitchen and to view daily specials, visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.