Company of the Week: Hiawatha Cafe & Lounge

Wausau Pilot & Critique

Editor’s note: Organization of the 7 days is a sponsored aspect that shares the tales of regionally-owned and operated organizations in the Wausau space, highlighting the products and solutions they give and the strategies they add to the metro area’s special flavor. Understand how to function your organization by emailing [email protected].

This week’s showcased company is a person of Wausau’s most legendary and recognizable restaurants, steeped in abundant background and custom. Hiawatha Restaurant & Lounge, 713 Grant St., opened its doorways nearly 50 yrs back after Roger Jamgochain procured the constructing. Roger ran the cafe for decades primary up to his demise in 2013, soon after which his sons Adam and Invoice Jamgochian took the reins. Invoice agreed to just take on Hiawatha by himself in 2019 to make it possible for Adam to concentration on his new downtown restaurant, Ciao. But now, things have modified. Adam is back at the helm at Hiawatha with a fantastic new staff which includes a small business associate, Wausau native Andrew Wichmann, and typical manager Taylor Owens. Robin Jamgochian, who is deeply concerned with business functions, and Govt Chef Andrew Malak round out the core of the group that is newly targeted on creating an exceptional encounter for shoppers. “It’s all about the pursuit of perfection,” Wichmann reported. “Ultimately, each purchaser ought to have the same excellent working experience below, and which is what we’re exploring for.”

Examine on to discover more about Hiawatha and the team’s vision for the future.

Q: When was your company proven, and what prompted you to get started?

ADAM: In two many years, it will be 50 years due to the fact my father, Roger, bought the company. When Monthly bill approached me about a calendar year ago seeking to discover new items, I realized we had to maintain going and make it to that landmark. I agreed to acquire him out underneath a condition that I could find a partner to invest in the area with me. Andrew’s history is excellent for Hiawatha, and I required to be involved with somebody I know and belief. I believed I could possibly twist his arm into coming back again listed here, and I’m happy he did.

ANDREW: I grew up here, but I spent 22 yrs in Seattle. I worked as a fish monger, and in a butcher store. I also managed and was element operator in a seafood stand. It was truly 22 decades of a full culinary concentrate. I started to come across a market for myself as a chef who specializes in opening dining establishments and repairing broken kinds, as well, by aiding people today obtain their business enterprise identification. Adam and I have been mates due to the fact we went to John Marshall Elementary School with each other and this is the 1st area I ever washed dishes, when I was 15 decades aged. For me it’s coming entire circle in my occupation. Our initially day of enterprise with each other was March 17.

Q: How did you decide on the title of your organization? What are you hoping to convey?

ADAM: Hiawatha has usually been the title due to the Hiawatha coach that ran from Chicago to the northwoods and stopped in Wausau. The educate stopped at the depot, which is now Timekeeper Distillery. Listed here, there was a bar downstairs and a brothel upstairs. It’s been all over a very long time.

Q: For audience who have by no means been to Hiawatha, inform us about it. What do you give?

ADAM: We have great foodstuff and a marvelous workers. The outside patio is a terrific location to loosen up and have a drink, an appetizer, or evening meal. There’s a hearth within and a hearth on the patio as properly. We have karaoke on Thursdays and live new music every time probable. Stay tunes is a tiny challenging this year but we’re bringing that in whenever we can. We serve lunch and supper. Our Sunday brunch, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., is definitely a big offer. Folks enjoy it. That was some thing my sister pushed my father to do, and around the yrs it’s gotten so common.

ANDREW: Roger’s Bloody Mary Recipe is notorious, and we have that. We phone it the “GodRodger,” and it is an homage to Adam’s father, just so superior. The fish fry is unbelievable, and we are still working with Roger’s recipe.

Q: What helps make your company exclusive? What sets you aside?

ADAM: The constructing itself is very one of a kind and the assistance is fantastic. There is a lot of numerous menu merchandise, just about anything from nachos to ribs, with anything for every person. I sense like our employees sets us aside, as well. We’re lucky to have men and women like Taylor performing so tough to make this a success and make people experience snug when they stroll by means of the doorway.

ANDREW: The location is exceptional, way too. We’re in a residential nook that we’re contacting The Railroad District. You simply cannot get a lot additional one of a kind than a 100-furthermore year previous house prosperous with record.

Q: What do you adore most about your occupation? What drew you to this perform?

ADAM: I really like the everyday challenges. Creating a excellent meal for a person is the ideal emotion. I’m also just happy to be right here assembly people from all walks of lifestyle. We get tourists from all over the environment and people today who arrive again every week who become like part of your family. That is the component of the hospitality business I appreciate the most – listening to their tales, obtaining inspiration from whoever I discuss to, it all allows as we work to make this area actually prosper.

ANDREW: I enjoy the obstacle of running perishable products. What I necessarily mean is, sourcing substances, working with nearby producers and farmers. The whole farm to desk facet of our enterprise and the associations we sort, conference new people today just about every working day of the 7 days. I love functioning with the neighborhood, seeing a need and filling it. That feeling of link.

Q: How have you improved and developed above time? What is various now from when you first started off?

ADAM: It’s however Roger’s cafe, but it’s not Roger’s cafe. Soon after my dad handed we experimented with a large amount of new factors. Perhaps we experimented with to make it a little something that it was not, by acquiring also fancy with the menu or moving too significantly absent from the matters that he did. Actually, our target proper now is to go back to all those roots, to provide again the organization clientele, the neighborhood clientele, with attractive industry prices on our drinks and food stuff, with regularity. Throughout COVID all people experienced to make adjustments but we know buyers have to have to know they can appear here and get their favourite food items. We are centered on that.

ANDREW: From an exterior point of view I can say definitively that Roger is still in this article. We have recipes going again to right before Adam and I were born, like the fish fry. Adam was the executive chef listed here for a time, so we have Adam’s typical dishes, Roger’s common recipes, but with a new twist from our executive chef. We have a small, contemporary menu with fascinating specials that rotate often.

Q: What issues have you experienced to overcome? Mainly, if you experienced it to do all above all over again, would you do anything at all otherwise?

ADAM: The most difficult element proper now is staffing and provide chain administration. Even obtaining product or service correct now has its issues. There are glass shortages, staffing shortages. The staffing difficulty is in particular challenging in the provider sector altogether proper now.

Q: What are your plans for the potential?

ADAM: A very in the vicinity of and pricey passion undertaking for us, as soon as we get completely established, we program to renovate the upstairs of the developing and build a incredibly previous fashioned model cigar bar there with an open up balcony and just a extremely fancy ornate ambiance. We’re also trying to aim on activities and on partnerships, like 1 we have with our neighbors across the road.

ANDREW: We’ll be exploring personal gatherings, block get-togethers, the forms of factors that can make it possible for us to really target on producing this place its possess minimal area of the railroad district. Proper now, we are doing the job well with our neighbor, Timekeeper Distillery, to make a community – a wander again into time. We’re performing some matters with community craft breweries and we have a terrific bourbon lineup. We have a good deal of potential strategies we’re fired up about as we go forward. I just want to say a massive many thanks to our current team and our loyal patrons, and we’re searching forward to conference new patrons, also.

Link with Hiawatha, 713 Grant St., Wausau

Open up for lunch and dinner commencing at 11 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday with kitchen area hrs til 10 p.m. On Sunday, brunch is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and supper commences at 3 p.m. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Take a look at the Hiawatha Cafe & Lounge website below and comply with them on Facebook here.