A hungry customer sat down for biscuits and gravy at a little diner in Lyle on Wednesday morning, paid the tab and left. Then that person came back with flowers. Something was right.

That customer experienced Lyle’s newest business: 3B Eatery and Catering, which officially opened on Monday. Owners Amy and Ricky Riley of Austin had always thought about owning a restaurant. Then it all happened so quickly.

“We wake up one morning, and they were like, ‘Hey, we are opening a restaurant,’” said Montana, the Rileys’ daughter.

Amy was a cook in St. Ansgar as recently as May when word about the empty space in Lyle spread through numerous people and landed in her ear. She pondered the idea and wanted to start off just catering, which her family has already done. However, it had always been Amy’s dream to start her own restaurant, and if she did, she could put her three Bs cooking motto into action: bacon, butter and booze.

“Life tastes better when you cook with those,” Amy said.

She loved to cook and treat people well, but the timing was never right. Then the idea faded.

“We had kind of given up on having our own place,” Amy said, and mentioned her busy life with five children never allowed it. “We waited in Austin; it just never worked out.”

However, the property manager recently urged Amy to start a restaurant. So she and her family did, all seven of them.

“Within a week, we decided we were opening a restaurant,” Amy said.

The Rileys went to work on their venture just five weeks ago. Last Friday the family held a soft opening for friends and family and asked for their honest opinions.

“We took that survey and tried to improve from that point,” Ricky said.

Along with the happy customer who returned with an arrangement of flowers, others have been pleased, as well. Amy said there was a buzz around town before the diner opened. Now there are repeat customers — in less than a week’s time.

“It went well,” Ricky said about the first few day of business. “Lyle has been very, very supportive in our venture here. We’ve had repeat customers so far.”

The entire Riley family helps with the business, along with about 10 extra employees. The hardest part was for Amy, however, was creating a menu. After a lot of thought and hours spent watching cooking shows on television, she decided to keep it simple. Some staples of the menu will include the hot roast beef sandwich and macaroni and cheese. Amy is trying a few other creations with sandwiches and baked goods, too. Of course, she’s sticking to her motto, as well. On Wednesday, customers could buy the bacon and brown sugar cookie. Every day, 3B offers fresh, baked goods at the front counter, or the blue-plate special, which includes a hot dish, side dish and biscuit or cornbread for $5.95.

But the Rileys are just getting started. Amy hopes to begin an online ordering service.

“People can go online, order a casserole, and we will deliver it to their home or business, frozen, ready to be reheated,” Amy said.

The Rileys fully understood starting a small-town restaurant, was a risk. However, Amy has plenty of confidence, especially after everything gelled so quickly. That’s not something that happens with many new restaurants. Amy hopes to keep the eclectic atmosphere with small-town hospitality.

3Bs Eatery and Catering is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. While the Rileys have not yet decided to open on weekends, they will be open during Lyle’s Independence Days this weekend.