Section 4 – The Golden Spike Cafe

A photograph of Ichi and Yae Nisogi standing in front of their Golden Spike cafe.
About the golden spike cafe: In 1961, after Ichi and Yae had decided to sell the farm and look for other ventures, Ichi was approached by Mildred and Elmer Warner, owners of the Golden Spike Cafe (which was little more than a coffee shop) with an idea. They wanted to retire and they really wanted Ichi and Yae to buy the Diner. Heck, Ichi couldn't even boil water! After a few weeks of discussions, Ichi and Yae decided to give it a try, since there wasn't any other opportunities jumping in line. They told the Nisogi's to try it for about 6 months with a lease. Ichi got some tips from friends that had restaurants such as the Star Noodle and Bamboo Noodle in Ogden, and State Noodle in Salt Lake City. In 1962, Ichi and Yae committed to purchase the Golden Spike Cafe. When setting their hours, the new owners wanted to accommodate the late-night Thiokol workers and early-morning hunters. At first business was great and very busy, but in 1963 Thiokol had a big layoff and business really dropped off, due to lack of traffic passing by. They began offering Oriental food in order to expand their menu and attract more customers. The Cafe was a lot of work because they had a breakfast/lunch shift (5 am - 1 pm) and Dinner Shift (5 pm to 1 am). Ichi and Yae were on call about 16 hours per day, plus daily food preparation and clean-up each night. They were open 6 days a week and closed on Mondays. Around 1978 they decided to end the Breakfast/Lunch shift and change the Dinner hours to 5 pm to 12 am on weekdays and 1:30 am on Friday and Saturday. Those were good moves. As business kept improving (and it definitely did) Ichi and Yae decided to add on to the Cafe with a brand-new kitchen equipment, and a large Dining Room. In 1971 the Grand Re-opening expanded cafe brought lots of customers. For many weekends thereafter, the enclosed front porch overflowed with people waiting for a seat in the already full cafe! The Golden Spike earned the reputation of good food and a friendly owner who would often come to your table and greet you. The cafe was quite well-known with dedicated customers coming from Box Elder, Weber & Davis Counties; and Logan, Tremonton and beyond. There were even 2 couples that would come from Twin Falls, Idaho almost every week. Ichi and Yae were very thankful for their family, relatives, friends and young employees that helped make their business a success. They were really happy to be able to give a lot of young teenagers the opportunity to work while going to school. In 1984, Ichi and Yae decided to retire and close the business, which was purchased by Bob Hardy Enterprises. Shortly after, Yae was diagnosed with cancer. This was a big blow to Ichi and family. One of her wishes was to go to Hawaii and see Don Ho, so in April 1985, Ichi and family took Yae there. She saw Don Ho, sat on the beach and waded in the ocean. The family gathered for an anniversary party of that trip before Yae passed in August 1986. Ichi passed away in 1988 due to problems with his heart. (He had his first heart attack around 1982 at a friend's viewing, which probably saved his life being in town and closer to the hospital.)
The deed to the land the Golden Spike Cafe was on.
Details about the land the Golden Spike was on.
About Peach Days Floats: There were years when the grandkids were young that Ichi and Yae would enter a float, sponsored by the cafe, in the Peach Days Parade. They received a trophy or blue ribbon in the commercial category with most, if not all, of their entries. The grandkids would dress in kimonos and happi coats for these occasions. First float was a Big Golden Spike on the top of Ichi's Ford Station Wagon at a parade in Corinne. Second Float was a pagoda arch or torii over the Golden Spike on a trailer, with Taiko Drummers (Hirai kids) from Ogden, pulled by a pickup truck with grandkids, nieces and friends seated in the back of the pickup. Third float was a Gazebo and flowers (many flowers coming from Aunt Suz's garden) with grandkids, nieces and friends. Fourth float was a rickshaw with grandkids, nieces and friends. Ichi and Yae were so proud of these floats, you could see the gleam in their eyes. In fact, Ichi would usually ride in the vehicle pulling the floats, smiling and waving as they passed all the people lining the main street of Brigham City.