UPDATE: Kids Korner reopens under new ownership, first week called 'great but crazy'

After being closed for almost two years, Kids Korner Pizza reopened on Feb. 14 in Rice Lake and had a line of waiting customers within the first half-hour.

Taking over ownership are Don and Rose Postle, and the manager is their daughter Christina Postle. They are the former owners of Skate City who moved to California for a time but are now back in the area.

On Monday, Don Postle said, “We had a great but crazy week. We weren’t able to open Sunday as planned because we ran out of ingredients! We actually sent our son to Fond du Lac on Friday to get more supplies, which was enough for Saturday, but we ran out again. We didn’t realize the pent-up demand for Kids Korner pizza. It exceeded our expectations.”

He added, “We thank everyone for their patience. Some people had to wait a long time. The team did every well working together, and most of the comments were extremely positive. Our deliveries and pick-ups got better every day.”

While plans are to bring back fresh and pasta salads next and eventually the entire menu of the former owners, it is pizza only on the menu for the time being while their staff of 14 gets familiar with operations. It is offering delivery within a five-mile radius of their location with a $20 minimum food order and a $5 delivery charge.

The new owners have made an effort to bring back the taste that tried and true Kids Korner customers have known and loved.

“It’s very important to me that the recipes remain as close to true as possible,” said Postle, who has re-established a relationship with past suppliers including the original sauce, Dave at The Butcher Shop providing the sausage and all of the cheeses coming from Burnett Dairy Cooperative in Grantsburg.

“We’re excited to be here,” Postle said. “We thought of it as an opportunity to re-establish the brand, and it allowed our daughter to return to Rice Lake.”

The Postles owned Skate City from 1987-2007, moved away in 2008 when daughter Crystal was in middle school, and returned in 2022. Helping out the family has been Craig Solem, who owned the pizza shop for 18 years before the late Stan Tatroe owned it. Postle said the former owner was amazed by the volume of customers who returned in its first week back.

Kids Korner Pizza is located at 322 N. Main St., and is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For other details go online to KKPRiceLake.com , find on Facebook or call 715-234-6531.