CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The owner of a beloved Burns café is determined to continue serving her fellow community members despite recent action from the town council to evict the business.
During the town’s Oct. 9 meeting, councilmembers voted to not renew The Rustic Plate owner Ashley Osterman’s lease and proceed with the eviction process, as first reported by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The cafe’s 134 S. Main St. Building location is owned by the town. The decision received pushback from Osterman and dozens of other locals, who claim The Rustic Plate is a staple in the community.
Osterman said she will not let this situation be “the end of The Rustic Plate.”
“I was truly touched by the statements from you all, and it just reinforced my desire to make this town a better place for all of us, not just through The Rustic Plate, but all aspects of our community,” Osterman wrote in an Oct. 10 Facebook post. “So fear not friends, this is not the end. I am committed to this community and trust me when I say that we will prevail regardless.”
In an email, Osterman states that she is “completely blown away” by the support from her fellow community members. Jennette Cathcart, a friend and Burns resident, set up a GoFundMe page to help The Rustic Plate with upcoming legal fees. As of Oct. 16, the page has raised $1,380 out of its $5,000 goal.
“Not only are they checking in on me, but have encouraged me, and not only fought for The Rustic Plate, but also for proper accountability of town leadership, and they have been keeping us very busy at the café, they are absolutely wonderful,” Osterman wrote. “These people are kind, and care about their town, and are fighting for what’s right, right alongside me. I could not be more proud and thankful for them.”
The owner states that opportunities for businesses are “minimal” if they do not involve a town-owned building. Her biggest concern is making sure café staff are prepared for potential layoffs.
“These ladies are rockstars and do not deserve to be without their income,” Osterman wrote. “Losing 10 employees in a town this small is never a positive thing. It’s all just so unfortunate.”
The eatery offers meals, baked goods and specialty beverages. Diners can view the café’s weekly menu on The Rustic Plate Facebook page, which boasts 1,500 followers despite the Town of Burns’ population of 392. The space not only serves food, but hosts community events as well. In the past, café staff have put on trunk-or-treat events for Halloween, hosted special dinners for junior high and high schoolers when they had dances and set up teacher appreciation luncheons, among other things.
Lease Disputes
The Oct. 9 decision follows months of back-and-forth from lease disagreements between Osterman and the council.
The Main Street building was donated to the Town of Burns by the local Masonic Lodge with the condition that it serves as a rented community center. Osterman started her lease in March 2021 and officially opened The Rustic Plate in May that same year. Since Osterman doesn’t have full autonomy over the building, she paid a lower rent than other businesses in town that have their own spaces.
More than a year ago, Osterman states she was approached by Burns Mayor James Clark, who told her the community clause would be removed from the lease. This would raise The Rustic Plate’s rent, but grant the business full autonomy of the building, to which Osterman agreed to.
With her lease set to expire Aug. 31, Osterman was given a new lease to sign on Aug. 15. The lease reflected the higher rate, but still described the building as a community center. Confused, Osterman claims she contacted the town for the corrected lease. On Aug. 29, the lease was delivered to her, but the contents had not changed.
Attached was a copy of the minutes from the previous night’s council meeting, in which the members voted to approve a lease with an increased rate for one month without the community center clause removed. Osterman claims she was not notified of the meeting beforehand, and sent a letter detailing her frustration with the council and a proposed compromise to Councilmember Judy Johnstone.
“I even offered a proposal of a month extension using my current lease, and I paid rent at my current rate for September to show good faith that I still wished to adhere to my lease obligations,” Osterman wrote in an Oct. 3 Facebook Post to The Rustic Plate’s page.
The letter was supposed to be read by Johnstone at the council’s Sept. 10 meeting, where the lease was slated for discussion. Osterman then learned that her lease wasn’t brought up by the council. Instead, it resurfaced during their Sept. 26 meeting. Clark made a motion to evict The Rustic Table from the building because Osterman hadn’t signed the new lease, according to the meeting minutes. Osterman claims she was not informed about the discussion or action until afterward.
“To say I was blindsided is an understatement,” Osterman wrote in an Oct. 3 post on The Rustic Plate’s Facebook page. “I thought that I was just waiting on the town’s attorney to correct the lease, not that I was going to be secretly put on a meeting’s agenda and my eviction would be voted on without me even being made aware or given the ability to advocate for myself or my business.”
In late September, Osterman, who had hired her own attorney at this point, said she was issued a “refund” check for the rent payment she made for that month. Per the advice of her attorney, she corrected the lease to what she viewed as a “good faith” proposal. Osterman included the increased rent amount for September and October and submitted the documents to the town council. She also requested that the council rescind their eviction.
The town’s attorney contacted Osterman’s attorney, stating that the council would not accept her payments and were continuing with the eviction regardless. The decision was voted upon and finalized during the Oct. 9 meeting.
Mayor James Clark did not respond to a request for comment. The official town meeting agenda and minutes are posted to the Town of Burns’ Facebook page. No documents regarding discussion or action on the final vote, however, have been published.
