More than two dozen local business owners and community members gathered at Biscuits Cafe this week to celebrate the recently completed renovations at the longtime staple in the Canby breakfast and lunch dining scene.
Owners David and Dana Ligatich, manager Dustin Florez and staff hosted the Canby Area Chamber for breakfast and a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday morning as part of the organization’s Good Morning Canby event series.
Dana Ligatich started in the food service industry as a part-time server, joining the team at Biscuits in Gresham in 2010. While there, she helped build the business and double the cafe’s sales, eventually being promoted to store manager and later, district manager, overseeing several locations of the regional chain.
David Ligatich began his entrepreneurial endeavors at around the age of 8, home-drying walnuts, filberts, pears and plums from his family’s trees, and going door-to-door selling 2-pound bags of the foodstuffs to friends and neighbors.
Eventually, he diversified his delivery service by offering to haul away old newspapers and cans, which added to his bottom line. At 18, David opened his first collectible store and later moved on to leadership roles with Safeway, Best Buy and Pacific Dental Services.
When health conditions created new challenges for David, his wife’s wish to Biscuits Cafe owners and founders Ed and Barbara Preston that she and David could work together came true. They were offered a chance to buy into the franchise, and they began their new adventure.
Through the challengers of the pandemic-related shutdowns of 2020 and 2021, the couple managed to stay in business and even purchased additional restaurants.
Their eldest son, Dylan, has been working for the pair for five years now.
“Dylan has an amazing talent for building relationships and the restaurant business as a whole,” says David Ligatich.
Their son Luke has also followed in their footsteps, opening his first retail collectible store at age 13.
“He has a great entrepreneurial mind and a knack for numbers,” David added. “He is currently learning all aspects of the business with the hopes of taking over with his older brother. … We are confident they will collaborate together very well and will continue to grow our business for the future.”
The couple is particularly proud of the Canby store and the presence it has in the community, including leading fundraisers like a recent partnership with Canby Christian Church that helped fund a missions trip to Mexico.
“They are all awesome, and we feel comfortable inviting the community back in as we pride ourselves on where we are today with our three benchmarks: time, service, and quality,” David said.
Biscuits Cafe is located at 1477 Southeast 1st Avenue. , Canby, Oregon. For more information, visit biscuitscafe.com.
