Sisters take ownership, reopen Hope restaurant

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a revised opening date.

HOPE — The new restaurant that opens Friday at the former location of Cornett’s Corner Cafe should have most, if not all, the old favorites remaining on the menu.

Two sisters originally from Indianapolis, Amanda and Heather Fowler, officially assumed ownership on Oct. 20, purchasing the restaurant and adjacent property at 525 Main St. from Mark Cornett. His last day of business was Oct. 15.

Ah-Ha Corner Cafe will have its grand opening beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 10. The name is a word play on the sisters’ names, Amanda (Ah) and Heather (Ha), they said. Amanda will serve as the manager of daily operations.

The grand opening special will be a $1 meal that the sisters call their Daisy Dog Baskets. It’s a special type of hot dog with mustard and onion that comes with fries and a drink.

The two most frequently asked questions the sisters have received is whether they will change the menu and if they will reopen the dining room, which has been closed since the 2020 pandemic.

“It’s our goal to not change anything, but make everything better,” Amanda Fowler said. “We are going to keep all the same comfort foods (that Cornett’s provided), and the dining room will be open. We’re not fully sure whether we’ll prepare the food to go, but you can take it to a table and eat it.”

The transition should be smooth because Rita Barton, who cooked for the Cornetts for several years, has agreed to continue with the new owners. In addition, the separate ice-cream stand will remain part of the establishment.

However, the menu will also offer healthier alternatives such as grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled tenderloins, gluten-free foods and smoothies, Amanda Fowler said.

The sisters also plan to offer charcuterie, a French word that means delicatessen. In the U.S., charcuterie usually refers to cured meats served with cheese, fruit, crackers and finger foods.

The sisters and their family have very strong connections with the U.S. military. With 15 years in the Indiana National Guard, Heather Fowler will retire as a First Lieutenant on Nov. 30. There are four generations of the Fowler family that have served in the Armed Forces, and the new cafe owners say they plan to provide veteran discounts.

While Cornett’s Corner Cafe has been a part of Hope for 22 years, the new ownership wasn’t much of a surprise. The eatery had for sale signs inside and outside the restaurant for several months, but those signs garnered little interest due to the pandemic.

Prior to opening his cafe in Hope, founder Ron Cornett was the chef at a number of high-end restaurants such as Dapper Duck Inn at Grandview Lake and Ancestors in Hope. He had also worked at the Left Bank, Cliff Hagan’s steakhouse, the Elks Club and the Heritage House.

When Cornett decided to purchase his own place to serve simple Midwest cuisine, he settled on obtaining the Filling Station, a 1,634 square foot building at the corner of Main and Washington streets in Hope. Originally a service station when built in 1952, the building had already been converted into a cafe when Ron Cornett bought it from Sadie Cress. His adult son, Mark Cornett, worked alongside his father and eventually became co-owner.

When Ron Cornett died unexpectedly last February, his son had to take on longer hours and new responsibilities. But he was willing to bear it as long as his daughter, Lillie, was working along his side.

But after Lillie and her husband moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, over the summer, Mark said his heart was no longer in the business and it was time to sell it.

The Fowler sisters said they’ve already been approached by a number of people looking for part-time jobs, so they aren’t concerned about a labor shortage.

Normal hours at Ah-Ha will be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On the weekend, Saturday hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.