It’s a good place with good memories and a good future. Wonderful words to hear if you are the new owner of the Speak Easy Restaurant and Lounge in south Moorhead.
Those are words Larry Hauger, who took over the restaurant Dec. 1, hears often. He has a personal and professional appreciation. His first date with his wife, Meredith, was there is 1992. In 1995, his groom’s dinner was there. They have three children, Dria, Kenzie and Remi. Kenzie, a student at Minnesota State Community and Technical College and Remi, a student at Moorhead High School, both work with their dad.
Business keeps picking up. The kitchen is solid with chef Kent Larson and crew in charge. Larson has 39 years at the restaurant and chef Jessica Sampson has 19 years – the kitchen is in the hands of pros who know how to prepare pasta, specialty and comfort-food Italian dishes, chicken, fish and seafood, American dinners, build-your-own spaghetti dinners, a “Baby Face” menu for children, a la carte, desserts, drinkable desserts, beverages from soda to wines to drinks, lavosch and pizza pies.
There are many daily specials in the bar and the restaurant including taco Friday, half-price appetizers, lunch and lounge specials, Sunday breakfast, happy hours and more.
Check the menu and other information at speakeasyrestaurant.com or on Facebook: Speak Easy Restaurant. They also offer a take-out menu. The restaurant is easy to find at 1001 30th Ave. S. Call 218.233.1326 for more information.
The new ownership, that includes partner Bob Kietzer, wants the Speak Easy to continue to be a “really good place for everyone to come. We welcome families.”
Its art deco, 1920s feel is a mini-art gallery of gangster times. The bullet-pocked Auburn car, favored by bootleggers because it could drive 100 mph, sits in the corner surrounded by murals. Behind the bar is a hand-carved peacock, a joyous symbol of the fun and freedom of flappers.
In the dining room, white tablecloths and velvet drapes continue the little Italy and Sicily feel from a century ago.
Updates have made regulars happy, too. Multiple screens play everything from news to sports, regular shows to movies – whatever appeals to customers.
One group, who call themselves Cheers-type fans of the place, really appreciates the new bar stools. “They feel like Lazy Boys now,” Todd Faust, Hudson, Wis., says. Faust used to live here but now business brings him here every six weeks. He always comes home to the Speak Easy.
“The bartenders know what people want,” Gary Klemetson of Moorhead added. The place has great bartenders, they agree. “They’re awesome,” another adds. Bill and Mary of Moorhead say they “like the atmosphere. They have good deals and we want the new owners to succeed. It’s a relaxed setting where you can talk because it’s not loud.”
Hauger has history in the place but so do many local regulars including Stacie Nelson and Dave Hjalmquist. Nelson’s 1978 prom and Hjalmquist’s 1975 prom dinners were in the casual elegant dining room.
“We all like it here – it makes you feel good,” Hjalmquist adds. “You can walk in here any night and find someone you know.”
Hauger makes a point of walking around and visiting with customers. He wants to welcome them and say thank you for coming in. “It’s a partnership between our customers and us. We appreciate all the support from the community,” Hauger says.
The staff affirms what Hauger said. They like seeing the place full and fun. A quick tally of the number of years of staff experience at the Speak Easy shows numbers like 11, 13, 39, 19, and many with five years and more.
As upgrades continue, Hauger is careful to keep the ambiance the same.
A woman came from St. Cloud to meet family at the restaurant. She called first to make sure it was still open. Why the Speak Easy? She’d been there years before and liked it. Now, the Speak Easy will be her stop again.
She tells the same story that so many customers do. “You come here, you remember it, you come back.”
