By Katie George
John Isaacson has barreled down snow-covered mountains enough times to realize it entails a hefty meal accompanied with a cold beer to replace the energy burned skiing. From the décor to the over-sized portions of pulled pork, brisket, and St. Louis-style ribs offered at Heavy’s, Isaacson used skiing and sports as inspirations for his barbeque restaurant.
“We don’t worry about dieting or calories around here,” he warns customers.
Isaacson opened Heavy’s in Concordia in April 2009. In an area packed with tattered cheeseburger and French fry-style diners that customers frequent more to gossip than to eat, Heavy’s thrives as a polished-yet relaxed place to dine.
Before owning a restaurant, Isaacson travelled the country working in the grain industry and later covered the Midwest working for the Kansas Self-Insurer’s Association. It was during his travels that
Isaacson schemed ideas for opening his own restaurant. “I have a file box of projects from rental properties to this; I have been thinking about opening a restaurant for 20 or 25 years,” Isaacson admits.
He scrutinized the food, service, and layout of each restaurant he visited while working as a salesman. “I tried to get a look at some of the kitchens, to the dismay of many cooks. They thought I was an inspector or something,” Isaacson recalls.
After studying numerous restaurants, Isaacson had yet to decide where he would locate his project. He knew he wanted to settle down close to his hometown in Scandia, population 377; but he craved a larger customer base.
Concordia fit perfectly. As the county seat of Cloud County, Concordia draws customers from small towns all over North Central Kansas—35,000 people according to a demographic study conducted by Wal-Mart. Highway 81 bisects Concordia, so travelers flock into Heavy’s for a break from their trips. Isaacson noted that at least 50 percent of his business stems from people that are out of town.
Isaacson launched his Heavy’s project in October 2009 after he bought an old corner gas station. He designed the restaurant’s log-cabin style front to imitate several businesses in Colorado, while the interior layout reflects Applebee’s with its dim lighting and multi-level floor plan. “I didn’t want it to be like Pinkie’s Diner where everyone stares at you when you come in the front door,” Isaacson explains.
Made from a tree that grew on Isaacson’s family farm, the oak bar lined with plasma televisions serves as the focal point in the dining area. The fenced-in patio arranged on the side of the restaurant replaces the ancient gas pumps. The kitchen, built long and narrow, mimics the style of the kitchens in Old Chicago restaurants.
The décor and artwork in the dining area and patio, however, are unique to Heavy’s. Isaacson’s wife, Robin, created the sports murals that enliven the restaurant. Skiers spray snow across the wall, motorcycles roar their engines and trains erupt from the tracks in the paintings. Skis frame doorways, and maps of various ski resorts are displayed.
After determining the location of the restaurant and buying a place to renovate, Isaacson still had a problem. What kind of food would he serve? And how would he develop the menu?
Contemplating between barbeque and Italian, Isaacson chose barbeque because it is more representative of the cuisine eaten in North Central Kansas and he foresaw more possibilities for menu development. Isaacson knew that he would need help with food processing, but still wanted to hold on to his own ideas. Thus, he became affiliated with Baby Huey’s, a catering business that owns barbeque sauces and recipes. Based largely in Nebraska, the company has several small restaurants that operate in conjunction with Gambino’s Pizza. Heavy’s is Baby Huey’s first full-scale sit down barbeque restaurant.
At Heavy’s, pulled pork sandwiches and slabs of ribs aren’t delivered to the table slathered with barbeque sauce.
“We’re really a Memphis-style barbeque,” Isaacson says. The wide variety of meats he chose to serve—turkey, pulled pork, pork tenderloin, sausage, beef brisket, pulled chicken, and ribs—are bought locally from Duis, a meat plant in Concordia, and smoked in oak for a mild flavor. All the meats are seasoned with a dry rub and served bare of sauce.
Customers may choose from three Baby Huey’s sauces: the slightly sweet Original sauce is the most popular, but guests add a little zing to their meat with the Sweet Fire or the Sweet Chili Mustard.
To enhance his full service bar, Isaacson loaded the menu with appetizers for people to munch with a pre-meal cocktail. He offers a variety of beers from Bud Light and Boulevard Wheat to Peroni and Beck’s. Isaacson obtained a liquor license so customers can order mixed drinks: margaritas, daiquiris, and Cosmos among others.
The Heavy’s Bloody Mary is one of the most popular drinks. Isaacson played with several ingredients to formulate the perfect blend. Spiced with horseradish and Tabasco and Worcestershire Sauce, the drink is garnished with celery, cherry tomatoes and jalapenos.
According to statistics from the Small Business Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in four new restaurants close within a year. Isaacson whizzed through this critical period, and claims the second year will be even more important for Heavy’s. Now that the staff has matured, he is looking for a “key player” to take on a manager’s role so Isaacson has time for marketing and advertisement.
He aims to develop the character he created and named the restaurant after—Heavy, the skier featured on the front of the staff’s t-shirts. Also, it was in Isaacson’s original plan to expand at some point, and he has purchased the building beside the restaurant. Yet he says it will be at least another year before he tackles that project.
For now customers grow accustomed to what previously was an unusual occurrence in local eateries—entering their names on a wait list.
