A legendary South Dakota travel stop has a new owner.
G.F. Buche Company purchased the Al’s Oasis complex in Oacoma. The company currently operates a grocery store inside the complex, located along I-90 just west of Chamberlain.
Company CEO and President RF Buche says Al’s Oasis is one of the most iconic destinations in the state, so it was an easy decision to buy it. He says the fact that they have family in Chamberlain and owned a store there from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s factored in as well.
Moving forward, Buche says his team plans to continue the Al’s Oasis tradition of excellent customer service. He wants people to know the company’s passion is supporting local communities by winning at retail.
While Buche has already completed a massive update to the grocery store side of Al’s Oasis, he looks forward to other improvements as well. The plan includes new bathrooms and a remodel of the restaurant and gift store to include South Dakota made products, an old-fashioned candy and fudge shop and hunting and fishing merchandise.
The Al’s Oasis restaurant will be managed by Sky Dine Inc., a family-owned Sioux Falls company. Co-owner and managing partner Dustin Sejnoha says they plan on changing the restaurant hours to include breakfast again in the near future. He says they will also prominently feature the Al’s Oasis legendary pie lineup.
Sky Dine Inc. operates a variety of food service entities throughout South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana including Marlin’s Family Restaurants, fuel/travel centers, bars/lounges, casinos, airport concessions and other franchised operations including Subway and Cinnabon, as well as partnerships with Culver’s Restaurants.
The history of Al’s Oasis
On August 6, 1906, the City of Oacoma celebrated the railroad bridging the Missouri. At the same time in Freiburg, Germany, a young German army officer named Albert Mueller debated his future and chose to come to America. In 1919, the Mueller family opened their grocery store in the then bustling cattle town of Oacoma.
The business prospered and eventually the store was enlarged, adding clothing and other items in demand by travelers on their way to the Black Hills. The lunch counter grew from ten stools into a full-scale restaurant where customers enjoyed not only sandwiches and pie but also steaks, prime rib and more. Over the years, the business has grown and expanded several times as travelers continue to stop at Al’s Oasis—where the coffee is still 5¢.
Photo credit GF Buche Company.
Photo credit GF Buche Company.
RF Buche.
Photo credit GF Buche Company.
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