THE BEST

 THE BEST 

By Duncan 

I have this problem. I walk into a restaurant and try to figure out how this restaurant/bar/grill got started. Who started it? And why does it operate like this? 

Like you, we have all enjoyed our “goto” restaurants over the years. I can remember the King Cole in downtown Indianapolis. It was located in the basement of the Kahn Building in the center of Indy and was a businessman’s lunch destination. It was special.  

It wasn’t a restaurant I went to every day. It had that feel and smell and an ambiance of success.

The first restaurant featured in the below-ground space opened as the Seville in 1929. 

By 1957, the remodeled space was named King Cole. This would become the destination restaurant in Indy, featuring an oft-touted rack of lamb, steaks, and seafood. The decor was intentionally stuffy. The establishment’s advertising boasted about being the best and often listed awards won throughout the years. A strict dress code requires jackets for men.  

If I walked down the steps into King Cole, I was there to enjoy success. I could afford it, and I dressed for the experience. Of course, back then, the fashion for men of the 70s was suits, ties, and shiny shoes. One only entered the doors of King Cole if you were dressed for success. 

Sadly, King Cole is no longer. It went out of business. The restaurant remained popular throughout the 1970s until a bout with Legionnaires Disease in 1979 damaged its reputation. 

And a lot of other fine restaurants in Indianapolis are gone. Why is that? What happens? 

What about the Tea Room on the eighth floor of L.S. Ayres Department Store in Downtown Indianapolis. It was very elegant. My mother (Lucy) loved to enjoy being in the “Tee Room.” The Tea Room closed in 1990. Why?

Albert Ray McComb started The Tee Pee Restaurant. I remember the Tee Pee as a drive-in, and I needed to be seen driving my dad’s red and white 1954 Oldsmobile through the parking lot. I was really cool back then. 

I remember my Mom and Dad having a late-night snack every Sunday night at the Tee Pee with friends from his church. The Tee Pee closed operation in the early 80s. Why?  

Key West Shrimp House opened in 1950. Garlic bread and lobster bisque were served with every steak or seafood dinner. The Key West Shrimp House is sadly only a memory. Why? 

Roselyn Bakery was started by John and Mildred Clark in 1943. They had as many as 40 locations. In 1999, the baking facility was closed. Why?

Sam’s Subway Restaurant Group was a huge success, with Sam Hochman being the man in charge. The Restaurant was located at 28th and Meridian Streets and started in June 1928. Sam and his sons tried to grow the brand too fast and opened too many locations. Sam’s Subway went Bankrupt in 1978. (I guess, in this case, we know why. Aye?) 

A personal note. This was one of my favorite places to be seen for lunch. It was very popular with the working stiffs like myself. I remember having lunch with Gary Steinhauer. Gary was a very charismatic man, and the women could not take their eyes off him. I remember walking to our table at Sam’s Subway a few feet behind Gary, and the women would stop talking and look his way. Of course, Gary did walk with a certain confidence. I guess I didn’t have the same swagger.    

Original Acapulco Joe’s (Joe Rangel) opened for business in 1960. Acapulco Joe’s was one of the first Mexican Restaurants in Indianapolis. Joe was so pleased to live in the United States that he played “God Bless America” every day at noon. Joe Rangle died in 1988, and ownership changed hands to Grant Redmond. Redmond closed Acapulco Joe’s in 2019. Why?    

Think about it. It’s the owners who have a focus, a mission; they want to start something and “own it.” It's their passion. Is it a reflection of themselves?

Whether it was to serve, make money, or the ego trip, owning their own place was their focus. They put their heart and soul into the place. All good owners are close to the operation and in the building, knowing what is happening daily. 

That’s why I lean toward a “Mom-and-Pop” restaurant.

They have character. I often think through the process of starting a restaurant. Not because I want to own and operate a restaurant. I just want to think about it. 

What is the most important consideration in starting a restaurant? Is it Location? Is it the decor inside or the look of the place outside of the building? The menu? The service, the way the food is prepared? Maybe it’s all of the above. 

Each Wednesday and Thursday, I have the ability to have lunch with friends. It’s pretty much a standing invitation.

Other friends of mine say, “Once a month is enough, Duncan,” or once a quarter for some, or in some cases, friends are thousands of miles away, and lunch or dinner is once a year. 

But let me talk about Wednesday. Friends get together once a week. I’m invited, and I go as often as possible. I have met some interesting new friends.

The location of this group meets at McGilvery’s on the west side of Indianapolis, and the restaurant is somewhat close to The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Race Track. 

But McGilvery's restaurant is off the beaten path and far from the activity around the Speedway. If you didn’t know about McGilvery’s, you wouldn't know it exists.

Others have said to me they are afraid of the neighborhood. Has the neighborhood changed for some reason? 

As we see from the restaurants here in Indianapolis and around the world, the good ones have a strong run, and then they close. Why is that? It’s obvious to me that the person with the focus and passion makes it work. 

So, who is the person who “takes ownership” of McGilvery’s? 

I don’t personally know Angela Halsey. But this is the force behind the big green sign on the building. The owner. 

 

Angela was schooled at Indiana University-Purdue University from 1986-1990. While in college in 1989, Angela was hired on as a part-time waitress. Then, when college was finished, She became an insurance agent. While an insurance agent, she kept her part-time job at McGilvery’s as a waitress. 

I assume, and because I don’t know her at all, she apparently saved a few bucks and decided the insurance game was not her style.

The smell of the grease paint and the roar of the crowd convinced her to buy McGilvery’s at 3009 North High School Road in 2014. 

What is it that pulls a person to gamble on a career-chang? Whatever it is, it always makes for an interesting story.

I assume the restaurant caters to the locals in the neighborhood. One of those places “Where everybody knows your name.” 

What surprises me is the people who I have contact with. 

Each week, the doors are opened by Meghan at 11:00 AM. A large group is waiting outside to gain access to the building. The group consists of about 12-15 guys at my table and about 10 people at the other table.  

Meghan is excellent at her job. She may not know us by our "Sir" name, but she knows us by what we want for lunch. I have discovered the Southwest Wrap. They serve THE BEST Southwest Wrap in Indianapolis.

I make a point of telling Meghan to tell the staff in the kitchen how much I enjoy my Wrap. She says she does. 

So, this last Wednesday, I noticed the kitchen staff standing in the hall and taking a break. I asked Meghan if she would ask the cook if I could take a picture of her. 

“I don’t know; she is kind of shy, but I’ll ask.” 

I was granted access to the kitchen, and there she was, standing at her workbench, getting ready for the next order. I can’t remember the young lady's name. 

This young lady and the fellow in the background is what makes this place tick like a well-oiled clock.

She (Lorenna?) is an artist, and you never know when you have someone who can perform week after week to send an excellent product to guests in the dining room. Yes, she is shy.  

I realize kidding and interacting with Maghan is fun for both of us, but how often does the kitchen staff know how much they are appreciated? 

Angela Halsey (owner) had been known to say, "This industry can struggle trying to find dedicated employees. My relationship with the staff is what keeps this establishment, be it small, like mine, going strong."

Nationally and locally, many restaurants and bars are struggling to stay afloat right now, and many have been shuttered by the pandemic. Looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics data on the national level, workers in the hospitality industry are quitting their jobs at record numbers. 

So it’s comforting to know the staff in a place like McGilvery’s. “Where everybody knows your name.” 

(What was the cook's name again?)