Two years ago Marka Kane and her husband, Travis Taylor, worked together to open the Simply Sweet Café in Durbin. Kane had always wanted to own a restaurant and Taylor, a contractor, remodeled the building into the classic and comfy space for diners to enjoy its delicious menu.
Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The town of Durbin has held a special place in the hearts of Marka Kane and her husband, Travis Taylor. They are both from there and when it came time to start their own businesses, they knew they wanted to stay in their hometown.
Taylor started his own construction company and Kane realized her dream when she opened Simply Sweet Café on Main Street.
“It’s always been my dream to own a restaurant,” she said. “Travis and I both wanted to do something to help the town and I was like, ‘well we can put in a little café.’ It’s definitely grown a lot more than we expected it to.”
The cafe is warm and welcoming, thanks to the remodel by Taylor, who opened the small space to include two dining areas, a window for ordering and the kitchen.
The rich browns and turquoise work well together to create an inviting atmosphere for regulars and newcomers alike.
Two years ago, with the café officially opened, Kane intended to have a small menu that she could handle on her own. That was before she realized how busy the little eatery could get.
“We just started out with sandwiches and a small breakfast menu,” she said. “I wanted to do it pretty simple because I thought I could do it by myself, but after the first day of opening, I realized that I was going to have to have some help.”
The community fully embraced the new café and as it became more popular, more items were added to the menu.
“Coffee was first,” Kane said, of the menu. “It’s something I noticed we didn’t really have in this end of the county, so I thought it would be a good idea. We’re slowly adding new things. We just added a deep fryer a few months ago. We have a daily special and we have a drink special every week.
“We’re slowly just playing around and adding stuff.”
The lunch menu includes the regulars’ favorites: Almost Heaven chicken salad – house made with a secret sauce – served on a Kaiser bun with lettuce and tomato, and the West Fork Reuben.
There are also kid friendly items such as the East Fork hot dog and grilled cheese and the easy grab and go lunch for those looking to explore Durbin while they eat.
The breakfast menu was recently expanded and now includes bagels, breakfast sandwiches and wraps, as well as biscuits and gravy, eggs, French toast and pancakes. Of course, sides of potatoes, bacon and sausage are also available.
The coffee menu is just as extensive, ranging from classic coffee and lattes to macchiato, frappes and bubble smoothies.
Kane says the frappes are rather popular, especially the caramel flavored, but don’t worry if you aren’t a fan of coffee, you can get a frappe without it.
“It’s basically a milkshake with coffee in it,” she said. “We can do a milkshake with or without the coffee.”
Business picked up even more after the Mountain Rail Adventures added the Cass to Durbin excursion, known as the Greenbrier Express. The ride includes a respite in Durbin where riders can enjoy lunch and shopping before returning to Cass on the train.
Simply Sweet and Station 2 restaurant cater these train excursions and Kane said she is able to serve 40 train customers in the second dining room while keeping the main dining room open for other customers.
The café has started its summer hours and is now open seven days a week. Mondays and Tuesdays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wednesdays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The daily lunch specials and weekly drink specials are shared on Facebook at Simply Sweet Café, as well as the regular breakfast and lunch menus.
Featured on the wall near the main entrance to the Simply Sweet Café is a custom-made wooden map of the United States where visitors can place a pin to show where they began their journey to visit Durbin.
