By Chad Koenen

Publisher

There is a sense of nostalgia every time a person steps through the doors of the Country Corner Cafe in downtown Henning. Whether it is the home cooked meals, coffee on the warmer or never-ending supply of people to visit with throughout the breakfast and lunch rush, the Henning restaurant has become a staple in the lives of local residents.

For the past 30 years the Johnson family has operated the restaurant, but their ties to the industry go back much further than just the Country Corner Cafe.

Their venture in the restaurant industry can be traced back to 1957 when Jody’s parents purchased a supper club in Alexandria, Minn. Jody said she never thought the restaurant would become a part of her entire life, but she began working at the establishment when she was just five or six years old. She said she remembers washing dishes by standing on top of old wooden Coca Cola bottle cases. 

She grew up in the food business, beginning with washing dishes to food preparation and waitressing tables. Her family owned the supper club for over 30 years, before they sold the establishment. About five years after they sold the supper club, Jody and her mother purchased Haugens Ice Cream Parlor in Fergus Falls. They changed the name to JoVon’s Country Diner and Ice Cream Parlor. 

The new name combined the two names of Jody and her mother LaVon to signify the joint partnership. 

“I came up with the name and it had a good ring to it,” said Jody.

About five years after Jody and LaVon sold the Fergus Falls establishment, Jody’s husband Don asked his wife if she wanted to get back into the restaurant industry and they quickly found a home at the Country Corner Cafe in downtown Henning. That was 30 years ago and through it all the family has weathered quite a few storms to get where they are today.

“We have weathered many storms,” said Jody. “A couple of recessions, State Highway 108 totally under massive construction, another massive construction on Second Street, George Floyd chaos that filtered into Henning and last but not least COVID hit every business.”

Over the past 30 years, many of the customers and their families have become like an extended family to the Johnson family as they come in for coffee, lunch or to just catch up as days go by. 

“To date and over the years, lots has changed. We lost several customers and through their passing, not only do we lose the customer, but we lost their families too,” said Jody. “They no longer need a reason to come back to Henning to see mom, dad or their loved one.”

Don, Jody and Julie are proud to continue to share this legacy of serving their customers and making friends over time as they serve the senior congregate dining along with NSI and the meals on wheels program to Henning residents via volunteer drivers.

The establishment is open seven days a week and features a large meeting room available with catering services also available to the public. 

Over the years the entire Johnson family, including their foreign exchange daughter has worked at the Country Corner Cafe in all of the facets of the business itself. Jody’s parents even helped at the cafe in the early years to help the establishment get off the ground, making it a total family affair. 

In 2025 the Country Corner Cafe was nominated as the best family restaurant in Henning by BusinessRate. The award was based on verified data from Google Reviews, as analyzed and certified by BusinessRate. 

The recognition was a way for BusinessRate to identify local leaders in customer satisfaction, brand reputation and service excellence using Google review data. 

In order to celebrate their 30th anniversary in downtown Henning, the Johnson family is having a customer appreciation dinner on April 23 from 4-6 p.m. to thank all of their customers and friends for their support through the years. 

Country Corner Cafe is located at 418 Douglas Ave. in Henning.