Owner of Waldo’s Classic Cookie is back in charge

The signs on the windows are a tip-off to longtime customers: Guess who is coming back to The Classic Cookie?

The Waldo mainstay for nearly three decades has been under new management for about eight months.

Don Peattie took over operation of the cafe, at 409 W. Gregory Blvd., in March and planned to buy it from owner Leslie Stockard.

But Peattie said he discovered building repairs that needed to be made. He also wanted to beef up cafe business and when he couldn’t expand at the current location, he decided to turn the operation back over to Stockard. He declined to comment further.

Stockard has been traveling on the East Coast and in the Midwest, visiting family and friends. The NASCAR fan also fit in a couple of races.

Now she’s rested and ready to return to the cafe and so are some of her former employees, including family members.

Workers are currently making repairs and doing a slight remodeling to the cafe for a scheduled Nov. 27 reopening.

A former multigrain pancake offered as a special, Painted Porch Pancakes, will be a permanent feature on the menu, along with housemade corn beef hash. It also is known for its cookies, including chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, chocolate peanut butter chips and Snickerdoodle.

Stockard has owned the cafe since 1998. But the Classic Cookie first opened on the Country Club Plaza in early 1982 and relocated to Waldo in mid-1988.

It will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast will be served all day and lunch starts at 11 a.m.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Owner of Waldo’s Classic Cookie is back in charge."