Group of friends turned restaurant owners fill gap in neighborhood dining

For years, Jason Walsh dreamed of owning a pub and restaurant. He envisioned himself seated at a comfortable table or on a stool at the bar, watching sporting events unfold on multiple TV sets.

He never imagined he’d be standing at the entrance, taking customers’ names as they arrived, or darting over on his noon break from his full-time job to see how things were going, or be wondering how it was possible to operate a nonprofitable casino.

You know what, though? He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I imagined sitting here watching the games,” Walsh said, seated at a table at Roundhouse Brew Pub on a weekday afternoon. “Now, my family doesn’t like coming here with me because I’m always doing this or doing that.”

Walsh and six other local investors opened Roundhouse Brew Pub on East 69th Street in July 2021 with the intention of filling the gap for a neighborhood drinking and dining spot. Think “Cheers,” but with more televisions and no Boston accents.

It is the kind of place they have frequented themselves, large enough to draw families and friends in after work without being so big you must search to find your party.

The local owners generally have known each other for at least 20 years. They knew that Walsh had this vision of opening his own neighborhood sports pub, and they were confident that the time was right.

“We built it the way we liked it and wanted it to be,” Walsh said.

The most active among the Roundhouse partnership team are Walsh, Jason Sudenga, Chad Wolff, Kay Hoogeveen and Chris Sperle. Evenings and weekends, if Walsh can’t be there, one of the others comes in to put a face to the place. Wolff likes to help behind the bar, Walsh said, and Wolff and Sudenga also frequently help with the overflow waiting for a table.

“Jason is here and talking to everybody,” Sudenga said. “Chad’s here and talking to everybody. When I’m here, we’re creating relationships. I don’t know of too many other pubs where multiple owners are this involved in where they’ve invested and make sure we achieve our goal.”

Walsh and Wolff both work in product presentation and sales for Fiserv, which provides financial services and technology to entities such as banks. Sudenga is vice president of golf for GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness. He came to Roundhouse Brew Pub with some restaurant experience based on the eateries at GreatLIFE golf clubs. Fiserv also is the connection for several other owners.

Although it is near the University of Sioux Falls football stadium, Roundhouse draws from the residential rooftops in its southeastern location, Wolff said.

“It’s just a friendly place,” he said. “It’s comfortable. It’s definitely for families and everything else, but a lot of our customers seem to be in our age range, 40 to 65. A friend pointed that out.”

Their active presence allows them to put names to their regular customers.

“We’re achieving our goal in that aspect,” Walsh said. “I’ve seen a lot of repeat familiar faces. There’s a lot of people I’d never met before we opened this who now feel like long-lost friends.”

The partnership relies on chef Derrick Fish and manager Sam Harris, both of whom have 20 years of experience in the food industry. They brought experienced cooks and wait staff with them when Roundhouse opened, and Harris also trained several newcomers to serving customers.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Despite being a sports pub that offers views of four TV sets from each seat, Sudenga said he hears the most praise about the food, servers and location.

“That’s the reason people come in here,” he said. “Sports just drives additional people in.”

The brew pub draws its name from Roundhouse Brewery in Nisswa, Minnesota, near Brainerd. Walsh also is a part owner of that enterprise, and the craft beer comes from there.

The top seller since the brew pub opened has been its seltzer. Don’t expect it to be as bubbly as a Bud Light seltzer, Walsh warned. Instead, it’s brewed like a beer and foams when it is poured.

It’s just something a little different at a brew pub that wants you to feel welcome.

“To me, we’re a neighborhood pub owned by a group of friends, all local,” Walsh said. “We’re not a chain. None of us are using this to become multimillionaires. We’d like to make some money — let’s not kid ourselves — but it’s just fun to hang out in your own place.”

What the owners order

Jason Walsh: The spicy chicken and shrimp pasta. “It’s the best thing on our menu,” he said. His craft beer of choice: Angel Seat Amber.

Jason Sudenga: Chislic and onion rings. “The onion rings are awesome,” he said. “They’re homemade.” His craft beer of choice: Fogbank IPA, but he’d rather have a gin and tonic. Roundhouse uses gin crafted by Glacial Lakes Distillery of Watertown.

Chad Wolff: The TBLTA — turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado — sandwich with Parmesan tots. His craft beer of choice: Boom Lake Lager.