Everyone warned Danny Holley before he opened his restaurant that the location would not work and that the timing was not right. Naysayers predicted it would close in three to six months, just like other nearby restaurants, he said.

But nearly five years later, Conroe’s Whistle Stop Cafe has amassed a loyal customer base that continues to grow, Danny said.

“It’s been difficult, but our service makes us successful,” he said. “I am here every day—I can’t remember the last time I was not—and every customer who comes in the door is greeted. I think you can have all of the business experience in the world, but if you can’t make people feel welcome and comfortable, it’s just different.”

Before opening Whistle Stop, Danny worked in real estate and said he benefited from a different outlook on the restaurant business. When restaurants were underperforming and owners were looking for a way out, Danny said he would help keep the business afloat until the owner could make arrangements.

He stepped away from a full-time real estate career for the restaurant business in March 2011 when his family was living in the Crighton Ridge subdivision, which is located right behind the restaurant. Danny said he thought the area was lacking nearby eateries. His solution was the cafe, which is known for its Southern comfort food.

“We try to make everything from scratch,” he said. “We don’t freeze it, and everything is hand-cut. People love our homemade onion rings. It’s just a flavor we want to capture: flavor and food from older generations.”

The menu now offers Mexican dishes, he said, including chicken and beef fajita tacos. Danny’s daughter Sarah Holley works as one of two managers and said the chicken-fried steak, catfish and chicken and dumplings entrees are among the restaurant’s most popular dishes. The cafe also offers a country-style breakfast menu.

Sarah has worked at the restaurant since it opened and said it has only strengthened her relationship with her father. Her bond with Danny, along with the closeness of the rest of the staff, contributes to the friendly environment customers experience at Whistle Stop.

“The big part of why people like it is being at home here,” Sarah said. “Everyone knows everybody and they want to come in for home-cooked food, and it’s very friendly.”