Colony Kitchen marks 25 years at Glenn Highway location

PALMER — Loyal customers have been returning to the Noisy Goose Café along the Glenn Highway for 25 years. While some come for the homemade chicken fried steak, some for the restaurant’s famously sinful pies and others for the kitschy atmosphere, they all get the trademark Noisy Goose attitude.

“We’re on a first-name basis with a lot of customers,” said general manager Keilani Beers. “There are the ‘Bad Boys’ who come in every morning and every afternoon, and they have for years. Most of the people we know by name when they come in. A lot of times, we know about their lives and what’s going on. But we’re also very sarcastic with our customers, and they like that.”

Beers has been around the restaurant for most of her life. As the daughter of Noisy Goose owners Bill and Glenda Nafus, she grew up with many of the eatery’s loyal customer base.

That’s part of what has made the Noisy Goose a local favorite for 25 years, said Ben Moffitt, a longtime customer and one of the Goose’s everyday “Bad Boys.”

“I’ve been coming here since they started in business many years ago,” he said while enjoying lunch at the restaurant on Saturday. “I remember when (Keilani) was 15 years old and working here.”

Moffitt is one of many favorite regulars, Beers said. He’s known as “Mr. Trivia.”

“They call me ‘Mr. Trivia’ because I give all the girls a chance to earn an extra buck if they can answer a trivia question correctly,” he said.

But what keeps him coming back every day “is the good food and good people,” he said. “I’m just a loyal customer.”

Then that trademark Noisy Goose sarcasm kicks in.

“Except for her,” Moffitt said, pointing at Beers. “She’s a brat.”

“Careful,” Beers retorts. “I still bring you your food.”

It’s a playful irreverence that’s echoed in the dozens of sarcastic sayings hanging from the walls, Beers said. But that doesn’t mean the service is rude. It’s just “Noisy Goose style.”

“There was a guy who came in and was real quiet by himself and sitting by himself this one time,” she said. “When he was done, he came up and said, ‘Hey, thanks for giving me a hard time today.’”

Silver spoon

The Noisy Goose is celebrating 25 years at its Glenn Highway location across from the Alaska State Fairgrounds. Today, the Noisy Goose family is hosting a special 1950s-themed party at the Palmer Depot to mark the occasion. From 2 to 7 p.m., everyone is encouraged to come enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs, dress ’50s style and dance to period music. A $5 suggested donation benefits Family Promise Mat-Su.

“We used to do theme days all the time,” Beers said. “We do a ’50s thing every year and do really cheap food and dress up. This year, because it’s our 25th, we decided to have the party at the Depot and are donating all the money to Family Promise.”

After leasing out the Frontier Café (where La Fiesta Mexican restaurant is today) for four years, Bill and Glenda Nafus decided to build their own restaurant. On Feb. 14, 1989, Colony Kitchen opened.

And while the name of the restaurant is still technically Colony Kitchen, it switched its persona to Noisy Goose Café when the Colony Inn opened in downtown Palmer to avoid confusion, Glenda said.

When asked if it’s Colony Kitchen or the Noisy Goose, Bill said he usually answers, “exactly.”

A quarter-century later, customers still wait for tables on busy weekend breakfast and lunch rushes, she said. The secret?

“Just customer service, being very friendly and, of course, good food,” she said. “Some people not only come every day, they come several times a day. We have some who come here two or three times a day.”

Something that’s preserved through the years at the Noisy Goose is that it’s a family business. Bill and Glenda still have a hand in it, and all of their children at some point have worked there. Today, Keilani runs the front of the house, while sister Darilyn Beers takes care of the office side of the business. A third generation is also getting into the mix, as Keilani’s daughters — Miranda McKenzie, 17, and Alyssa McKenzie, 16 — both work there as well.

“One is a hostess and the other is a waitress,” Keilani said. “And my 12-year-old is bugging me to hire him, but I tell him not quite yet.”

All the employees are considered Noisy Goose family, Keilani said. There’s Faye Carrol, who’s been with the business since it was the Frontier Café. Among other things, she’s been making all the famous pies for the past 28 years.

“She has been a huge help and has kind of been a mentor and she’s still here,” Keilani said. “She’s our secret ingredient. She’s a big part of the reason why we’ve been so successful.”

And don’t underestimate what superb pie can mean to a community restaurant, she said. “Pie is a pretty big deal here.”

Carrol’s daughter Davida also works at the Noisy Goose.

Parting shot

More than 25 years in the restaurant business has to generate some memorable moments, and when asked about the most memorable, there’s no hesitation from Keilani, Bill or Glenda.

It’s the day a toilet was stolen.

“It was during a very busy lunch rush,” Keilani said. “We had a waiting line out the door in the middle of summer, and somebody stole a toilet from the bathroom.”

Making the heist more of a head-scratcher is that it happened during a rush, when people are waiting and the restaurant was packed, she said. With all those people around, nobody saw the porcelain being purloined.

“They actually took it out and nobody noticed,” she said. “He got away with the toilet. That has to be the craziest thing that’s happened.”

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269

or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.

What: Noisy Goose Café 25th Anniversary Celebration

When: 2 to 7 p.m., March 23 (today)

Where: Palmer Depot

Cost: Suggesting a $5 donation, all proceeds donated to Family Promise Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

Theme: It’s a 1950s dance party, so dress the part and be ready to hop your socks off. Also, enjoy hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, soda and cookies.