OSAGE, Minn. - The Northern Inn is a true mom-and-pop restaurant.
Mom is in the kitchen, cooking walleye, homemade pizza and other menu favorites, while Pop keeps customers happy as the bartender, waiter and busboy.
Owners Lanny and Tammy Highman have owned the Northern Inn on Big Toad Lake for 22 years.
They live upstairs and are the sole employees of the business that's open six days a week.
On a recent Saturday night, customers greeted Lanny by name and complimented Tammy on her homemade rolls.
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"Everybody's pretty nice around here," Tammy said. "It's fun to visit with people."
The restaurant attracts tourists in the area, as well as permanent residents of Park Rapids and Detroit Lakes.
Vicki and Les Odland, who have a cabin on Big Twin Lake, recently went to the Northern Inn last Friday for the walleye special, and then returned Saturday night for supreme pizza.
"It's amazing how many people they can handle with just the two of them," Les Odland said.
Margaret Vollmuth and her husband, George, frequently meet friends at the Northern Inn in the summer for the reasonably priced food.
"It's just such a nice, unique place," Vollmuth said. "It's not fancy. It's just that the food is so very, very good."
The restaurant feels a little like being in grandma's house, with family portraits hanging on the wall and a mix of knick-knacks displayed on shelves.
"It is a very homey atmosphere," Vollmuth said.
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The Highmans, who have been married 42 years, spend their one day off a week - Monday - having lunch with their kids, Lanny said.
The restaurant is also open during the winter, although it's less busy.
"We live here, we might as well be open," Lanny said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
