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The city is woven deeply into Limani’s personal history. She grew up in Janesville, attended Marshall Middle School and Craig High School, worked downtown at Riverside Family Restaurant, and later gave birth to her daughter at Mercy Hospital.

“My whole life has always been tied to Janesville,” she said. “Even when I lived in Belvidere for almost 30 years, I always had this feeling that one day I’d open a restaurant here.”

The new restaurant will be located at 3360 Milton Ave., near Festival Foods, in space recently vacated by MOD Pizza. It’s an area dominated by chain restaurants but lacking a locally owned breakfast destination.

Limani and her family opened Cindy’s Café in Milton nearly three years ago after relocating from Belvidere, Ill., where they owned and operated the Steam Plant Restaurant for decades.

The move north was driven by family, specifically a promise made after the death of Limani’s mother.

“When my mom passed away, we promised her we’d take care of my dad,” she said. “My little sister and my dad live here in Milton, and I just wanted to be closer to them.”

That same sister found the Milton café location that became Cindy’s Café. The business quickly built a loyal following, drawing customers not only from Milton but also from Janesville and beyond.

“We have customers from all over,” Limani said. “A lot from Janesville. And now it just made sense to come back.”

That feeling became reality when Limani learned the former Mod Pizza space near Festival Foods was available.

“As soon as I saw it, I reached out,” she said. “And it just worked out.”

Like Cindy’s Café, Butter Me Up will be entirely family-run; her daughter Xhulijeta Limani and her husband will run the new Janesville location full time.

“My daughter is a huge reason this second restaurant is happening,” Limani said. “She fell in love with this business.”

Xhulijeta originally trained in cosmetology and once envisioned owning a salon in a bigger city. But serving alongside her family changed that.

“She realized this is what she loves,” Limani said. “She still cuts hair for some of our elderly customers who can’t get out, but now she wants her own restaurant.”

Butter Me Up, much like Cindy’s Cafe, will focus on traditional diner-style breakfast and lunch, including skillets, omelets, biscuits and gravy, Benedicts, pancakes, French toast, burgers, sandwiches and salads. A new addition to the restaurant will also feature several flavored butters, a nod to its name, which Xhulijeta chose.

“She likes to butter up the customers,” Limani said with a laugh.

Hours are expected to run from early morning through 2 p.m., seven days a week, with a soft opening planned ahead of the official launch. Limani is also pursuing a soft liquor license to offer items like mimosas and hopes to add patio seating in the future.

While the Janesville space will be more modern and spacious than the lemon-themed Milton café, Limani is determined not to lose what made her business successful.

“I don’t want to lose that mom-and-pop feeling,” she said. “Knowing people’s names. Knowing what they like. Recognizing their car when they pull in and knowing their orders. That’s what makes us, us.”

Limani describes herself as a hands-on owner: serving tables, washing dishes, bussing, hosting and working alongside her staff.

“You can’t just sit back and order people around,” she said. “Your employees are a reflection of you. Your customers see that.”

That philosophy extends to how she views her role in the community. Cindy’s Café opens on Thanksgiving for customers who would otherwise spend the holiday alone. Elderly patrons are treated like family. And laughter, Limani says, is part of the daily routine.

“If you read the back of my shirt, it says ‘Cindy’s Nut House,’” she said. “It’s fun here. People come to relax. Life is hard enough.”

As construction and inspections continue, Limani asks for patience as her team works toward a spring opening.

“There’s a lot of work going into this,” she said. “But we’re so excited to meet new faces and become part of the Janesville community again.”

For Limani, the new restaurant represents more than growth; it’s a return to where so much of her story began.

“We needed to grow,” Limani said. “This space in Milton has been amazing to us, but it’s too small for all of us now. And if I was going to grow, I always knew it would be in Janesville.”

“It feels full circle,” she said. “Janesville has always pulled me back.”