Nick And Eddie: A rock 'n' roll restaurant digs in
The economic slump is hitting all Twin Cities restaurants hard, and Loring Park-area eatery Nick And Eddie is no exception. Partners have opted out, high-profile chefs have come and gone, and the economics of managing a restaurant have forced owner Jessica Anderson to take on debt. Minnesota state policy is of dubious help here: The state has “posted”—a forbearance placed on restaurant booze-buying—Nick And Eddie and more than 200 other Minnesota restaurants until they find some fast liquidity to get their books in order, or shut their doors for good. If this comes as a surprise to anyone, welcome to the world of restaurants. The real surprise here is how Nick And Eddie's restaurateurs have improvised their own script and kept the doors open.
Nick and Eddie workers Derik Moran, Doug Anderson, Christina Nguyen, and James WallaceThe normal m.o. in this situation is to pull everything of value off the wall and get the hell out of town, but Anderson (and her husband Doug, an important behind-the-scenes creative force) has amputated the non-essentials and cauterized the systemic bleeding of her costs and payroll. Fancy head chefs? Gone. The front-of-the-house management? Adios. Kitchen costs? Three now do the work of eight, and a new menu integrates the whole operation under one mantra: local, seasonal, simple, delicious. Remarkably, when Anderson approached the staff with her drastic changes, they stayed put. Bartenders, wait-staff, and busboys have all decided to work for free until the taxes are paid and the liquor is flowing again. And they're continuing to bring in live entertainment, including legendary Television guitarist Richard Lloyd on Sept. 25. The A.V. Club recently sat down with Anderson and her workers to hear more about their plan.
The A.V. Club: There aren't any rich folks here, so what gives? How come you're all working for nothing?
Carlo Masy, host: We've all been around, right? You want to work at the same job for 30 years, go work at some steak house. But if that's not your idea of a good time, you work at an independent. By the way. If you're working at an independent in this town, you're lucky to get five years out of it. At Nick And Eddie, we're all just making sure that we get our five years. [Laughs.]
Tracy Blight, bartender: I've done corporate, and I'll tell you what, I would rather work here for free than set foot in a Parasole restaurant ever again. Up-selling, scripts, it's so fucking nauseating. They actually believe that customers are stupid or vain enough to fall for that shit. It's like living in some corporate apocalyptic nightmare. [Laughs.]
Sweet Johnny Ingrim, waiter: I've known Jess and Doug for a long, long time, and I'll tell you what—when I come into work a month from now and we're still standing and there's a wall of liquor in that bar, I'm gonna feel pretty good about what we've done.
AVC: What's up with the menu? House-made hot dogs, charcuterie, small plates—it's all familiar food, but the flavors and presentation are't necessarily mundane.
Derek Moran, chef: That's exactly the point. It's like, the chicken and dumplings that we were serving tonight: The technique is what made it. We poached the chicken, served it with pan-seared gnocchi and let the herbed broth pool in the plate without drowning the delicate flavors of the dish. Our hot dogs aren't just hot dogs—I mean, I stuff every one of them myself. You aren't going get that flavor out of a package. We're also keying on a whole range of house-cured meats and sausages that are available lunch and dinner. It's all about simple, assertive flavors in edgy presentations.
AVC: But if, as Doug has said, you're just a neighborhood bar at heart, how are you going to stay open when the reality is that you don't have any liquor?
Jessica Anderson: The reality is that it's been weeks that we haven't been able to buy liquor, and people are still coming in! They've been incredibly gracious, because they want this place to stay in business almost as much as we do, and that means something.
Ryan Chermack, bartender: It's all B.Y.O.B. now. The state says we can't sell it, but that doesn't mean you can't bring your own. We don't charge a corkage fee, no bottle cap fee, no nothing. That's how we're running the dining room and we're staying open every night until 10 p.m And we're still bringing in music like Suicide Commandos, David Thomas [of Pere Ubu], and Bush Tetras. Why wouldn't people keep on coming in for that?
Nick And Eddie: 1612 Harmon Place, 612-486-5800, nickandeddie.com
