“Over the last 45 years, Village has grown into the place that it is — that sees many of the same people come in day after day — Village is their family, and they are family to those of us honored to cook for and serve them,“ said current owner Lacie Sims. ”I’m so excited to share that I’ve found the exact right team to take Village into the future. Angie, Taylor, Mike and Jon are excited to honor the past and embrace the future of what is truly a Waynesville institution. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
Meet the owners
Wagner and Ritter are part owners of Taylor’s Coffee & Creamery, a Waynesville coffee shop known for its 34 oz. latte buckets, ice cream, donuts and other baked goods.
They are also the owners of Lewis Community Mercantile, an old-fashioned soda shop in Waynesville with home goods, apparel and jewelry that opened in March.
Credit: Contributed Photo
Credit: Contributed Photo
Wagner, who spent 35 years in the consumer packaged goods industry specializing in marketing, sales and business development, went full-time with her businesses in Nov. 2024.
“I share a love for food and bringing family and people together around a meal,” Wagner said. “I thought it’s now or never. I’ve always wanted to do it. I always wanted to own a restaurant.”
She and Mike LaJeunesse are long-time family friends. They both grew up in Xenia and attended Carrol High School.
Most recently, Mike LaJeunesse worked with Wagner at Associated British Foods as an executive chef. They traveled to various retailers such as Kroger or Meijer where they put together tastings at the corporate level.
Mike LaJeunesse has been in the restaurant industry for 35 years. From catering to working in the corporate world at places such as TGI Fridays and O’Charley’s, he most recently opened Butterbee’s American Grille in Xenia.
Credit: Contributed Photo
Credit: Contributed Photo
“I was self taught from the time I was nine years old. My parents divorced when I was nine, and my mom was a labor delivery nurse,” Mike LaJeunesse said. “My chore at the house was making sure that myself and my brothers ate, so I learned from a very young age how to cook and quickly had a love for it.”
He left Butterbee’s in July with plans of opening his own food truck.
“I’ve been encouraging him to do that for years,” Wagner said. “He is such a skilled chef, and he really puts his heart and soul into it. What went from a childhood of being the cook in the family and growing and developing in that industry, he did impressive work.”
Mike LaJeunesse’s favorite part of cooking is getting to be innovative and developing menus.
“I love it,” Mike LaJeunesse said. “I love seeing the smile on peoples’ faces when they get a good meal in front of them — knowing that I provided that meal for them.”
The restaurant will be the first business he and his son have owned.
Jon LaJeunesse is a University of Dayton graduate who has been the marketing and bar manager at Timothy’s Bar in Dayton.
Wagner’s daughter, Ritter, is a graduate of Miami and Liberty University. She has a master’s in education and is a private tutor on the side.
“I sincerely believe in this community,” Wagner said. “I know that it’s a best kept secret, and there are so many hard working individuals who own small business. When people come to Waynesville, it is a sense of family.”
Protecting tradition, while looking towards the future
Wagner knew the former owner of Village Family Restaurant because Sims is her landlord at Lewis Community Mercantile.
Wagner called Mike LaJeunesse in late-August about the opportunity to own the restaurant.
“Our experience in the realm of food and serving others is vast,” Wagner said. “I think the most important thing about us is the connection that we have and the feeling of family.”
They loved that the team already in place at the restaurant were a family.
“That was really important to us,” Wagner said. “That was one of the biggest assets of why he and I jumped into this endeavor.”
Their vision is to honor all that makes the diner special — from its loyal regulars to its classic menu.
“We just need to get in there, learn our team, kind of stabilize things and start moving in the direction that we want to,” Mike LaJeunesse said.
He’s planning to work with a friend who is a consultant to bring some fresh ideas and enhancements to the restaurant. This is likely not to happen until 2026.
The new owners expressed their gratitude for being entrusted with this local treasure and their commitment to continuing the Village’s legacy as a “home away from home” for generations of diners.
“The biggest thing that we want to do is make sure that people in Waynesville know that we are going to protect those things they love — the traditions (and) the foods that made it," Wagner said.
“We’re going to continue the tradition of the family restaurant there,” Mike LaJeunesse said.
MORE DETAILS
Village Family Restaurant, 144 S. Main St., is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
For more information, visit villagefamilyrestaurant.com or the restaurant’s Facebook page (@thevillagefamilyrestaurant).
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