A familiar Grand Haven restaurant is beginning a new chapter – with a new name, the same familiar faces and a story that has been decades in the making.

Sarah and Tom Cowan have officially completed the purchase of the restaurant and property they have operated since May 2023. With the purchase complete, the longtime Rainy Days Café will soon become Cowan’s Cafe, marking the next chapter for the neighborhood restaurant.

While the name on the door is changing, Sarah and Tom say the heart of the restaurant is not.

“Rainy Days has become so much more than a business to us,” said Sarah Cowan. “It’s where we see our friends, hear people’s stories, watch families come through the door and get to know our customers by name. We want people to know that the things they love about this place aren’t going anywhere.”

A Little Restaurant With a Lot of History

The building has served the Grand Haven community under several names over the years, including The Shamrock and, most recently, Rainy Days Café.

For the Cowans, however, the restaurant’s history is also personal.

Tom’s family operated the restaurant in 1976, making the opportunity to take ownership decades later a unique full-circle moment for the family.

Sarah and Tom took over operations of Rainy Days Café on May 1, 2023. Sarah brought more than 30 years of restaurant and hospitality experience to the business, while Tom brought both a personal connection to the restaurant’s past and a shared passion for preserving the kind of hometown establishment where people feel at home.

Over the past three and a half years, the Cowans have continued serving the homemade breakfasts and lunches Rainy Days has long been known for while building relationships with the customers and community surrounding it.

On September 4, 2026, Sarah and Tom officially became the owners of both the business and property.

“Sarah and I started building our businesses around the same time, so this one feels personal,” said Sarah McKee, Managing Partner at 100GROUP MI and longtime friend of Sarah Cowan. “I’ve watched Sarah and Tom pour everything into this little restaurant. To now see them own it, put the Cowan name on the door and bring the story full circle from Tom’s family at The Shamrock nearly 50 years ago is incredibly special. I’m proud to call them both friends and 100GROUP clients.”

As part of the transition, customers will begin seeing small improvements and updates to the restaurant, along with its new name: Cowan’s Cafe.

The changes are intended to invest in the future of the restaurant without losing what has made it special. Guests can expect the Rainy Days favorites they already know and love to remain on the menu, along with a few new additions – and they may even recognize some familiar flavors and recipes inspired by hometown favorites from years gone by, including the return of a local favorite many will remember: the famous Sheepherder.

For Sarah and Tom, preserving those traditions is part of what a hometown restaurant is all about.

“Food has a way of bringing back memories,” Sarah Cowan said. “There are certain dishes and flavors people remember because they grew up with them, shared them with family or enjoyed them at places that were part of Grand Haven for years.”

“We love the idea of keeping a little bit of that nostalgia alive while creating some traditions of our own,” Tom added.

The food, friendly service, familiar faces and feeling of sitting down with friends over a good meal will remain at the heart of Cowan’s Cafe.

The Shamrock → Rainy Days Café → Cowan’s Cafe.

Different names. Different chapters. The same little hometown restaurant – with a few familiar tastes from Grand Haven’s past joining it for the next one.

Cowan’s Cafe will continue serving breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For Sarah and Tom, the new name is less about reinventing the restaurant and more about putting their family’s name on a place that has already become part of their family.

“Restaurants aren’t really built around food alone – they’re built around people,” Tom said. “We are incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported us over the last three and a half years. We wouldn’t be here without this community, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.”

Welcome to Cowan’s Cafe.

Back to Mama’s Kitchen for a hometown Rendezvous.

About Cowan’s Café

Cowan’s Cafe is a locally owned hometown breakfast and lunch restaurant in Grand Haven, Michigan. Formerly Rainy Days Café, the restaurant serves homemade favorites in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Owners Sarah and Tom Cowan officially purchased the restaurant and property in September 2026 after operating Rainy Days Café since May 2023.

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