BUCYRUS — Kim and Ryan Stamper are opening their own restaurant while honoring two former Bucyrus business owners.

The couple will open the doors to Lu Lu’s Kitchen on Monday morning with a full menu that includes two items named after former Bucyrus restaurant owners, Donnie Schifer and Harmon Guss.

Schifer lost his life in a motorcycle crash last August while Guss succumbed to cancer in 2012.

Kim Stamper (left) stands with the late Donnie Schifer, former owner of the Bucyrus Diner. (Submitted)

“Donnie was like a dad to me and Harmon taught me so much. I wanted to do something to honor them,” said Kim, who has worked in the restaurant industry since she was a teen and began waitressing at PoMo’s in Nevada.

After a decade working as a waitress at Carolyn’s Kitchen near Oceola, Kim worked at Guss’ restaurant, Gus’s Grill and Grog, and then stayed on when it became Vanessa’s. The restaurant temporarily closed then was re-opened by Schifer as the Bucyrus Diner.

“I was the general manager of the Bucyrus Diner and my husband was the kitchen manager so when Donnie died, and the restaurant closed, we both lost our jobs,” Kim said.

Kim said she is grateful to Kurt Fankhauser of Wavelinc who hired her to work at his business while she and Ryan planned their next move.

The couple attempted to purchase the diner, but the deal fell through. It was then that the pair made a deal to lease the former Michael’s Pizza building at 1640 Marion Road in Bucyrus from owner, Mike Robinett.

“We have an option to purchase the building in our contract,” Kim said.

Kim said that when the Bucyrus Diner closed, she and her husband were not the only ones without a job.

“Twenty-four employees lost their job that day,” Kim said. “We hired the entire staff back because it is the right thing to do.”

The restaurant will offer country home-style cooking along with steaks and ribs. The menu also includes the two items named for Schifer and Guss: Donnie’s Breakfast Sandwich and Gus’s BBQ Burger.

“We will be serving all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Kim said.

The restaurant will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information, call 419-562-0019 or visit the restaurants’ Facebook page.