Local Food & Local Support: 3 Places to Try in Stanley

Stanley, ND is a town looking to serve its residents and tourists with tasty meals and beverages. Located an hour west of Minot, the town’s Main Street offers hot breakfasts and hard ice cream. This blog explores three locations that will satisfy your hunger, as well as an opportunity for local businesses looking to start or grow through the Mountrail County JDA’s Grant Programs.

Stanley's water tower, located on the north end of Main Street.

Table of Contents

1. Dakota Drug Co.

2. Joyce's Cafe

3. Rustic Bean

How Your Business Can Start or Grow with MCJDA's Grant Programs

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Dakota Drug Co.

Dakota Drug Co., a pharmacy housing one of the last remaining Whirla Whips in the United States.

While Dakota Drug Co. is a local pharmacy, it also offers a unique ice cream experience that will be your new favorite way to help you cool down on a hot summer day. Once inside, to the left of the pharmacy is an ice cream parlor using one of the last remaining Whirla Whip machines in the United States to serve its delicious ice cream.

The left side of Dakota Drug Co. contains the Whirla Whip machine.

Used in the 1930s, Whirla Whips were operated by soda jerks to convert hard ice cream into soft ice cream. Mix-ins and hard candy flavors new textures and tastes to the ice cream, allowing customers to try something each time they visit. Below are a list of flavors and mix-ins you can choose from. Our favorite is vanilla ice cream with Oreo and brownie cake batter!

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Joyce's Cafe

Entrance to Joyce's Cafe, located across from Dakota Drug Co.

Across from Dakota Drug Co. is the equally delicious Joyce's Cafe. The cafe is a comfortable spot to dine at with cushy seating, dim lighting, and a calm atmosphere. Joyce's Cafe offers many breakfast and lunch options such as their McRice Breakfast Sandwich or Nodak Burger.

One of the many delicious breakfast options from Joyce's Cafe's menu.

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The Rustic Bean

The entrance to Rustic Bean, now with a second location in Stanley.

The Rustic Bean specializes in coffee and tea, with over 50 flavors and special drinks to choose from. Located south of Dakota Drug Co. and Joyce’s Café, the building is hard to miss with its corrugated metal walls, constructed in 2018. If you’re looking to mix up your morning brews, The Rustic Bean also offers matcha and lotus drinks!

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How Your Business Can Start or Grow with MCJDA’s Grant Programs

Rustic Bean's second location, which received funding through the MCJDA's Horizon Grant program.

The Rustic Bean is just one of many businesses that were able to grow with support from the Mountrail County Job Development Authority (MCJDA). In 2023, the café received $10,000 in funding from MCJDA’s Horizon Grant Program to expand the business to a new location inside the old Ace Hardware in Stanley.

The Horizon Grant Program is a matching grant that offers for-profit businesses in Mountrail County up to $10,000 in funds through a reimbursement process. The MCJDA also has other funding opportunities, like the Community Grant Program and Growth Fund Program. Launched in 2023, the Community Grant Program offers funds to organizations in Mountrail County. The Growth Fund Program offers loans for business start-ups, acquisitions, and expansions.

Many other businesses along Stanley’s Main Street have also been recipients of MCJDA’s Grant Programs, such as Let It Be. If you’re interested in owning or growing a business, visit our Programs page to learn more about how we can help!

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