Barney’s Drive-In to stay open through winter months

The south side of Clear Lake in Waseca has a statue of a giant chicken by the side of the road, this is next to Barney’s. There’s also the giant chair to pose in, or the giant wooden cheeseburger. Usually, Barney’s Drive-In 1950s style dining is closed for the winter months, well that’s  recently been changed.

Owner Joe Veroeven said, “We made the decision to stay open year-round on September 26. We’re one of the few owners of this place that live in the area; up until now it’s never been done.” Veroeven has owned Barney’s since May of 2023. Before that Joe worked as a manager at a graphic arts shop in Mankato. His wife, Audra, runs Palmer Bus Service in Waseca. Together Joe and Audra have six children, two of whom currently work at Barney’s. The couple have been Waseca residents “going on 29 years now; even our 28-year-old graduated from Waseca High School.” Since Barney’s Drive-In has been geared for summer use, the transition may take some time and some trial and error. “We’re going to try a drive-through of sorts, try to modify this place to accommodate people coming just to get their takeout,” explains Joe. He also said he would love to offer indoor dining as soon as he can figure out how to do it.

To encourage people to try this new arrangement, Barney’s persistently posts new menu items and deals on the company Facebook page.  Two examples are new Italian roast beef and pulled chicken sandwiches.  Joe said he’s also been working on soups for the cold winter months, specifically a hearty chicken with wild rice soup and a chili. But Joe said his soups aren’t ready yet, “Sometimes the recipe isn’t quite right, I want everything to be perfect.”

 Joe reveals that he is adamant about supporting area businesses. “It’s a big deal for me to shop local: The beef for my burgers is bought from a local farm. Our hot dogs are bought from Morgan’s Meat Market, so is our bacon. Even our buns are bought local.” The company website specifies “local” as within a 150-mile radius.

Audra makes six different ice creams using facilities at Barney’s. They come in a wide variety of flavors with a mix of creamy and crunchy ingredients: Honey Vanilla, Vanilla, Cherry Chocolate Marshmallow, Chocolate Cookie Crunch, Apple Pie, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.