OttawaHerald.com -- Community News. Community Connections.

	Franklin County, Kansas, USA

Subscriber Services Home Delivery Gift Subscription Stop-Start Delivery Missing Paper Back Issues Newsstand Locations Shopper Locations

Advertising Services Manage Your Account Place a Classified Ad Place a Display Ad Advertise Online Business Finder Directory

Other Services Submit News Laminated Items Photos & Keepsakes Article Archives Contact Us History of the Herald Our Policies

Suggest a poll topic

2010-03-20

2010-03-16

2010-01-19

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 1:17 PM

Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Peach Madl, owner of two Sandbar locations in Ottawa and one in Lawrence and co-owner of Crystal Plaza Theater in Ottawa, uses this vehicle to drive to and from her various business locations. Madl also owns The Lodge, a motel in Baldwin City. She said she loves all of her businesses.

Madl: 'I've really fallen in love with everyone here'

New Sandbar shop takes much of local business owner's time

By JENALEA MYERS, Herald Staff Writer

Peach Madl knows how to keep herself busy.

Residents of Ottawa, Baldwin City and Lawrence often can see Madl making her way from place to place, business to business. For some, running five businesses might be exhausting, but for Madl, it’s all part of the fun.

“There’s always something to do,” she said. “We’re just having fun.”

The fun began in 1989 when Madl opened the Sandbar, a bar and grill, at 17 E. Eighth St. in Lawrence. Ten years later, she opened The Lodge, a motel, at 502 Ames St. in Baldwin City.

In 2004, Madl opened a second Sandbar, this time at 1608 S. Main St. in Ottawa. This year, Madl expanded the Sandbar theme to another Ottawa location with the opening of the Sandbar Sub Shop at 127 S. Main St.

When she’s not surrounded by beach music at one of the Sandbar locations or walls of mounted animals at the Lodge, Madl also co-owns Crystal Plaza Theater, 209 S. Main St., Ottawa.

“I love them all,” Madl said of her businesses.

Loves them so much that she said she doesn’t have a favorite.

“They’re all kind of the same hospitality-type services — making sure everyone smiles and making sure they get a valuable service for their dollar,” she said.

Now that most of the businesses are established, Madl said she spends a lot of her time overseeing the staffs.

“I have the best staffs in the whole world,” she said. “I basically provide support for the staffs whenever they need something. We have weekly meetings in all places.”

Since it just opened in January, Madl said she’s been spending more time working shifts at the Sandbar Sub Shop.

“It’s the only place I work as an active member of the staff,” she said. “I’ll be here helping out and doing shifts until everything settles in.”

Madl said the new Sandbar has been well-received by customers.

“I think they’re happy to have something green to eat,” she said. “The salads have been bigger than what we thought they would be.”

And with spring around the corner, Madl hopes business picks up even more.

“We’re really excited about the weather breaking,” she said. “We haven’t even touched our ice cream potential.”

For Madl, it’s the people of Ottawa that she enjoys the most.

“It’s a very fun town, and I’ve really fallen in love with everyone here,” she said. “The customers and the staff are what’s made it so fun.”