ABOVE: Scott Vaske stands with his girlfriend, Kris Grev, outside the Derby Bar and Grill in Guckeen, which Vaske purchased in February and recently opened last month.

GUCKEEN– Scott Vaske, the new owner of the Derby Bar and Grill in Guckeen, admits he wasn’t actively looking to buy a restaurant when he made the decision to purchase the former Derby Inn. But that is what he did.

“A lot of people were talking about it (the Derby Inn) and there were rumors that it was for sale,” Scott says. “One day I picked up the phone and asked to take a look at it.”

What he and his girlfriend Kris Grev found was a place that looked horrible and was very smelly and dirty.

“It was in pretty tough shape,” Kris comments.

After they were done viewing the facility, Scott shares he asked himself the question, “Do I really want to do this?”

Apparently he did because he made an offer which was accepted, and two weeks later, on Feb. 13, the deal was closed.

“Feb. 12 was the last day I had off,” Scott jokes. “Every day since then was spent getting the place ready until we opened.”

Scott grew up in Mankato and has lived in Blue Earth since 2003.

“I worked at YSI Academy in Elmore for about 15 years,” he comments. “I think I was one of the longest-tenured employees there. I had no experience in the restaurant business.”

“I also had no restaurant experience – except eating at them,” Kris says with a smile. “I am an occupational therapy assistant. I work with long-term care patients.”

Scott and Kris spent countless hours cleaning, painting and making changes to the restaurant.

“I am now working two full-time jobs,” Kris admits. “And I am not even joking.”

The couple repainted every wall except the ceiling, had new flooring installed, revamped the bar and replaced the old light fixtures with new ones.

“We also purchased new barstools,” Scott says. “And we added a pinball machine to the place.”

The Derby Bar and Grill had a soft opening on April 23 before their official opening on April 24.

“The response has been a little overwhelming,” Kris comments. “People seem to be very pleased to have this place open again.”

“We even ran out of Busch Light the first Monday we were open,” Scott laughs.

While selling beer is obviously a big part of their business, The Derby is also a place where you can come to satisfy your hunger needs.

“We have appetizers available,” Scott comments. “And we also serve burgers, sandwiches, chicken strips and flatbread pizza.”

And they are already enjoying the vibe that goes along with operating their establishment.

“There is lots of storytelling going on,” Scott says. “It is just fun to see people relaxing and having a fun time.”

One question that does come up from time to time concerns whether or not there will be a return to action on the former volleyball courts.

“The answer to that is no,” Scott responds. “The court is full of weeds and has become a big kitty litter box.”

In addition to the pinball machine, customers can also try their luck at pull-tabs and e-tabs with the proceeds going to support the Fairmont Youth Hockey Association.

“They (Fairmont Youth Hockey) were in here with the previous owners,” Scott explains. “They were anxious to do so again.”

Scott says the restaurant employs a staff of about 10 people with three people working a shift at a time.

“Each shift has a cook, a server and a bartender,” Scott notes. “Kris and I fill in when needed.”

When talking about their future goals for the Derby Bar and Grill, Scott and Kris say they just want to take things slow for now.

“It’s important that we learn the basics,” Kris remarks.

“We want to keep our feet grounded,” Scott says. “Then we can consider other things later on.”

Scott pauses, gets a big smile on his face, and adds, “Although it would be nice if we could do well enough so that Kris could quit her other day job.”

Scott and Kris took a moment to think back about how they spent every day since Scott purchased the restaurant cleaning it and trying to get it ready.

“We joked that once we had it clean, maybe we didn’t want to let people in,” Kris laughs. “But of course we did.”

“And it has been fun,” Scott says. “We are thankful for all the people who have already showed up. It’s been amazing.”

Scott and Kris say it is one of the wonderful things about being part of a small community.

“We have had so much encouragement,” Kris comments. “And that is so nice.”

“We just want to provide a clean place where people can eat good food,” Scott concludes. “And we want people to have fun while they are doing it.”