Rapid River Logging Camp — Restaurant in Park Rapids

We decided to have breakfast here while visiting family that has a lake home in Osage, MN.

It was just over a 30 minute drive and well worth it! There was plenty of parking available, including handicap parking.

We entered the gift shop to pay for our breakfast, only $13.00 per person. What a fun gift shop, so many cool things to look at. We knew we would be stopping back, on our way out, to buy some treasures to take home with us.

We then left the gift shop to walk to the Cook Shanty (where we ate). The tables were all set up with red & white checkered table cloths, each place setting was a tin plate, tin coffee cup, glasses for juice/milk & silverware. The benches you sit on were cut logs & it felt like you were a logger grabbing a bite to eat.

The decor had funny signs, as if you are a logger. Displays of carved wooden figures, old canned foods, cookware, oil lamps etc. It was very quaint!

Our server was all smiles & explained how to order, as all food is served family style. You order how many eggs you want (soft or scrambled), you get one hashbrown (which is a huge portion), sides of pancakes, ham & sausage are all you can eat and you were served coffee & could also have orange juice and/or milk.

The entire staff, including the gift shop staff, were friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy what they do. We felt welcomed!!

There was also a fun play area for children if there is a wait to be seated. The area is outside & will keep them entertained.

The food was hot and delicious!! They also have dinner and we will definitely come back for that on our next trip.

This is a unique dining experience and one your whole family will enjoy.

We stopped at the gift shop and made several purchases on our way out. Such a great time had by all and we were...

No onions and radishes for starters. Pickles as a replacement?

Those aren't the same rolls and cornbread I've eaten for over 45 years.

What!? No blueberry jam either!?

No honeybutter!? I'm 50 years old, and can remember coming here since I could barely dress myself! What happened? This is a major disappointment!

New owners? I'm out of the loop, what happened?

Edit: Response to owners reply: Smart move to delete your first comment on my FB post. The items you 86ed from serving isn't the end of the world for me. What you deleted was my response to your comment. "Getting busy and running out of items" shouldn't fall in the lap of the customer. Did the kitchen notify the cashier to deduct the cost of missing items from the meal to all diners coming in, or to clarify that we now need to ask for items? No, thats just more profit. We did ask and were told you were out of items "because of a shortage!" ... These are Google stars, not Michelin stars! The five diners last night dropped $120.00+ for meal and gift shop item, also left a $25.00 tip! Over the years my family has dropped thousands of dollars in meals and in your giftshop. Cutting corners, leaving honey out of honey butter might seem petty to you, or tossing out a thimble of blueberry jelly or a few radishes and onions might be your idea of business savvy, and it is noted! There will be a next time, and that will determine if the cost of inflation and first reaction on FB is worth holding on to the tradition of your new Logging camp experience. You can...

My extended family and I (5 people total) went for breakfast. The food and service was good, but not great. You prepay for food in a little cabin and then wait for seating while exploring the grounds. The logging camp has a river that flows through it where you can feed the fish; it’s a neat experience for kids if you can get onto the small dock; families will often use this as a photo place... and take forever. It didn’t really look like it was particularly busy, but we ended up waiting for over 20 minutes to be seated. The Hall was only half full, leading to believe they were a bit understaffed. The food was food was okay for about $10— pancakes, eggs, choice of meat — but the syrup was awful; really, really awful. It was probably the imitation stuff cut with water. The syrup was so watery that it would run off the pancakes before they could even absorb it. The service was acceptable. The atmosphere bothered me. I really dislike being in places that tout being a “family friendly” place but have signs plastered with how you should act, including a “you break it, you buy it” policy. And no, we weren’t affected by it; I just think those things are better left to common sense and the handwritten signs are tacky; it just seems so ... frumpy, old-fashioned, and unwelcoming.

The logging camp is a nice place to experience once... but...