Reaching 20 years in the restaurant industry is no small feat.
For spouses Tim Hundt and Deb Hundt, "It feels like a lifetime," said Deb.
The Hundts purchased Badger Crossing Pub & Eatery in February 2006. Ever since, it's been a ride full of happy highs and challenging lows. From fun parties and moments with co-workers to masks and six-feet of separation, the Hundts have seen it all and given it their all to keep it going.
“We’ve put everything we have into it,” said Tim.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the survival rate for a business in the accommodations and food industry for five years is around 50%. That number drops to a little less than 40% after 10 years.
Being in the restaurant industry wasn't a safe bet, but one the Hundts were willing to take.
Tim and Deb were weighing the future of their automobile body shop business, The Body Connection, and the automobile repair industry itself, when the offer to buy the restaurant and bar came up.
“We just kind of eased into it,” said Deb. “Scot approached us about buying it, and now we’re here.”
Before the Hundts bought Badger Crossing, Tim and Deb worked at the business for a few months to learn the ins and outs. At that time, it was managed by Scot and Amanda Wall and was more of a sports bar than a supper club. They served fish on Fridays, which is one thing that hasn't changed.
Once they were handed the reins, the Hundts made cosmetic changes to fit their vision of a supper club that would honor the history of the village, building, and site which dated back to just before the turn of the 20th century.
Badger Crossing is housed in the former Badger Store – where half of the name comes from – a grocery business that lasted 71 years in Cashton. Before that, for a brief time, it was the Farmers Co-op Mercantile Store. But even more famously, the 909 Front Street address was home to a department store and opera house, also known as the Cremer Store, which was built in 1899. The original building burned down in late 1929 and was rebuilt and reopened less than one year later in 1930. The Badger Store closed the spring of 1999 and was sold to the Cashton Area Development Corporation by the fall.
Renovations to transform the Badger Store into a full-fledged restaurant and bar were happening at the same time that Parkview Lanes was transforming into a clinic. Equipment from Parkview, and also the former Towne House Bar and Cafe, was moved into the future establishment. Even the bowling alley floor was transformed into the bar and table tops.
When the newly formed restaurant and bar first opened, it was known as Hazen's Corner. It didn't last long and eventually the Walls took over, rebranded and renamed the business in honor of the former Badger Store and the railroad across the street.
And so, Badger Crossing was born.
The Hundt's first order of business was a new back bar built by Tim’s brother Al Hundt, which was crafted and stained to match the rich woodwork already in place. Next, a permanent wall was constructed by Schroeder Construction to replace a temporary rolling wall. This change, along with the addition of brick and a fireplace by their brother-in-law Mike Olson, created a cozy dining room. Those projects were completed in the first year.
In 2009, booths were added near the entrance. In 2011, they added an upstairs dining room and bar to provide more seating, which Tim says was to keep up with demand for more private areas for parties. They were closed for two months to add the second story. Since then, they’ve hosted countless retirement parties, anniversary celebrations, birthdays, and weddings. This lofted area created a lot of memories along with the rest of the building.
GREAT MEMORIES, GREAT PEOPLE
A fond memory Tim and Deb have is of a particular favorite patron who was a older lady that would give her husband a later time to pick her up so she could hang out at Badger Crossing just a little longer so she could keep playing games.
"Rest in peace, Dorothy and Ivan," said Deb. "But Dorothy would stay and gamble and she'd tell [Tim]: 'Don't tell Ivan'."
Deb said that Dorothy and Ivan met at a wedding dance and the first drink Ivan bought Dorothy was a blackberry brandy, so that was their drink.
"They were the cutest couple," said Deb. "She would gamble while she was waiting for him to pick her up."
"She'd tell him to come later than when she was done," said Tim. So if it was three o'clock she'd tell him to come around 3:30 or quarter to four."
Another memory is when employee-at-the-time Bill Freiberg blew the whistle on his fellow coworkers who had been the main partakers of the new energy drink that was put on the soda lineup.
Soon after it was added, the supply seemed to be dwindling faster than anything else.
"And I'm like 'How can we be using so much product of that Adrenaline Rush?'," said Tim. "The guy that was bartending, it was Bill [Freiberg] at the time, he said 'It's because your cooks are drinking it all the time.'"
Providing employment is a point of pride for the Hundts. They estimate that they’ve hired at least 75 employees, if not more, in the past 20 years.
"We’re really proud of that, though," said Deb. “Because most of the kids that start here, it is their very first job. They're so young, and it's fun to watch them get it. Get the job. Get the work. Get the money.”
Deb says that over the last 20 years, they’ve had many past employees come back with their families to visit.
“Most of them have pretty fond memories of their coworkers,” said Deb. “Back when they were just kids.”
Tim says back then, 20 years ago, the main motivation for kids to work was saving up for a car.
“Then it went to, ‘I need a [cell] phone’,” said Tim.
There's one employee whose dedication outweighs any monetary motivation there could be, and a story about Badger Crossing isn't complete without mention of the longest-tenured employee: Dave Amundson.
Amundson is best known, possibly world famous, for his thoughtfully handcrafted beverages.
"When I think of Dave, I think of his homemade Old Fashioneds, martinis, and delicious ice cream drinks," said Jessica Williams, a fellow co-worker, who first worked at Badger Crossing during the Wall era when she was in college and then again when she returned to Cashton three years ago.
Before Amundson retired from his day jobs, Tim says that Dave would work 40 hours at his regular job and then work another 30 hours at Badger. Amundson’s employment predates Tim and Deb as he’s been there for around 25 years, an achievement that's long enough to require it's own article.
“He’s an icon,” said Deb.
WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED
Despite two decades in the industry, the Hundts say that they've seen a bigger difference between now and only six years ago.
“We’ve seen more of a change in the restaurant industry since COVID-19 than in the last 20 years,” said Deb. “People changed during COVID. Even now, people go home a lot earlier.”
The spread of the novel coronavirus and state-mandated shutdown of all restaurants, bars, and schools proved to be a make-or-break situation for industries that relied on people leaving their homes to patronize their business. This unexpected closure was especially hard on restaurants. Emergency Order #5, which prohibited mass gatherings of 10 people or more, was issued on March 17, 2020.
Just hours before the shutdown took effect, the Hundts had received their food order for the week, which was their usual fresh items plus a large sum of corned beef and all the trimmings for St. Patrick's Day.
It was never served.
“We got a notification that there will be cops coming around at five o’clock and that we better have our doors locked,” said Tim.
“I let the employees take whatever they wanted,” said Tim, who pointed from the end of the bar to the front door. He said that stretch of area was “full of blue buckets [that were] full of product that had to get thrown out.”
Now, six years later, the Hundts say that the restaurant industry hasn’t returned to normal. But they’ve adapted.
“COVID really changed the dynamics of a lot of places,” said Tim.
When they reopened after COVID, it was hard to find help and so they did away with the day shift. Eventually, they cut Monday and Tuesday, which Tim says is actually beneficial to keeping the restaurant running smoothly as it gives him time to fix anything that might break.
“COVID really hurt us,” said Tim.
“But we made it,” said Deb. “A lot of places didn’t make it. So we’re grateful.”
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES
The Hundts are hosting a two-day celebration at the end of March to commemorate their 20th anniversary.
The party starts Saturday, March 28, with drink specials. It continues on Sunday with complimentary food and live music from Andy Hughes and his Johnny Cash Tribute set from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., with country rock, blues, and folk music from DeJay DRT starting at 3:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
The Hundts say that they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for their patrons. This party is their way of saying how much they’ve appreciated their customers, past, present – and future.
“We want to celebrate with the people that got us here,” said Deb. “Anybody that walked through our doors.”
“Anybody, everybody,” said Tim. “Even if they’ve never been here.”
If someone hasn’t been in before, they know that they’ll have made a new friend before they leave.
“We have so much community support,” said Deb. “So many people come in and they can always find someone to talk to.”
