E18: E4: Unfiltered Confessions of a Small-Town Restaurant Owner Artwork

Old Fashioned On Purpose

Have you felt it? Something is rippling through humanity at this moment. It's a stirring... a longing... a remembering. A sense that we are more capable than we’ve been led to believe. We want to feel alive, not sedated.. but we've lost our way. We've traded a life intertwined with nature for asphalt and artificial lights. We've swapped natural movement for a sedentary existence. We've given up food from the earth in favor of food from the factory. We've sacrificed our traditional skillsets for apps and gadgets. But while our overdose on modernity may have made us sick, there is an antidote. Join best-selling author and mentor, Jill Winger, each week as she digs into a different facet of the old-fashioned on purpose lifestyle.

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Old Fashioned On Purpose

E18: E4: Unfiltered Confessions of a Small-Town Restaurant Owner

February 02, 2026 • Jill Winger • Season 18 • Episode 4

I'm now going on five years of owning a restaurant in one of the smallest towns in Wyoming.

It’s one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done. It’s also one of the most exhausting.

I’m proud of what we’re building in our little corner of Wyoming. I’m proud of the food. I’m proud of the place. I’m proud that people walk in and feel nostalgia, comfort, a sense of belonging… a remembering.

But in this podcast episode, I’m going to say the parts I usually don’t say out loud because, well… I feel like it. And some of it just needs to be said.

Podcast Episode Highlights:

Backstory of our small-town restaurant
Confession #1: The Locals Are Our Lifeblood (And Also… a Lot)
Confession #2: I Wish We Could Rate Customers
Confession #3: We’re Not Trying to Make Your Life Hard with Our Limited Hours
Confession #4: Staffing Is… Complicated
Confession #5: I’m Not Getting Rich Off This
Confession #6: We Care a Lot About What We Serve You
Final thoughts...

Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:

Find my Old-Fashioned on Purpose planner here: https://www.prairieplanner.com/

Learn more about Chugwater Soda Fountain here: https://www.chugwatersodafountain.com/

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:

Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: http://theprairiehomestead.com/letter
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

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