Restaurant Revisited: Bronk’s Bar and Grill by Maria Russo in Shows, December 5th, 2012
Facing the imminent closure of their 11-year-old restaurant, Bronk’s Bar and Grill, husband and wife owners, Erik and Tracy Brunkow, turned to Robert Irvine for help in saving their business. This Lake City, Minn., eatery had been serving dishes made mostly from frozen food in an out-of-date, unadorned space, but thanks to Robert and his Restaurant: Impossible team, it reopened with a fresh menu and vibrant decor to match. We checked in with Erik a few months after the transformation to see how Bronk’s is doing now.
Immediately after the renovation, sales at Bronk’s grew significantly, doubling during weekdays and tripling on weekends. Erik says that customers have come from near and far to see and taste the changes, and everyone is wowed by the updated decor. “They say it’s brighter, fresher and more open,” he explains. “People are noticing our tin ceiling all of a sudden, which was there originally.”
Bronk’s is still serving the updated menu exclusively, and Erik notes that they’re using only fresh, never-frozen ingredients. He adds that the specialty sauces that Robert created have been extremely well-received by diners. “People want us to bottle them and sell them at the store.”
Since Erik has taken on full responsibility of Bronk’s, he says that he’s able to make decisions more quickly and easily. “I feel I have a better grasp of the whole running of the restaurant. Issues get taken care of a lot faster because I’m there all the time and I don’t have to ask Tracy for her opinion.” He admits that his and Tracy’s relationship is still a “work in progress,” but explains that he and his family have been sure to spend quality time together on Sundays. Tracy is still working at Bronk’s but only one day a week.
Reflecting on his Restaurant: Impossible experience, Erik tells us that he’s especially impressed with the impact the renovation has had on the community. “Many businesses in town say that we have inspired them to take a look at their own businesses and take time out to make new changes.”
More From Restaurant Revisited:
Rohrer’s Tavern (November 28)
Poco’s on the Boulevard (November 21)
Oleander Bar and Grill (October 17)
Valley Inn (October 10)
Whistle Stop (October 3)
The Maple Tree Cafe (September 26)
Michele’s (September 19)
Paliani’s Restaurant (September 12)
Frankie’s (September 5)
Gusanoz (August 29)
Stella’s (August 8)
Italian Village (August 1)
Zandi’s (July 25)
The Main Dish (July 18)
Longbranch Steak and Seafood (July 11)
Horton’s Kids (June 13)
Pollard’s (May 30)
University Grill (May 23)
Ristorante Barolo (May 16)
Pappas (May 9)
Mama Lee’s (May 2)
Pelican Grill (April 25)
Valley View (March 14)
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More posts from Maria Russo.
I went to Bronks after the re-do and was disappointed to see the staff sitting at the bar, taking up all the seats. It was a Friday night and dead. Note to staff: don't take up space intended for customers, it looks really bad.
We went back again for dinner on Sat., it was busier, the food was good, but the spicy ketchup was TOO spicy. Loved the onion rings. Oh and they need to have kids menu.
They recently did update the menu to include a kids section
How about people teach their kids how to eat something besides chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese?
What do you care?
i think mn is cleaner 4 a reson
That woman was too weepy.
I beg to differ, You have a lady working another job to pay the household bills while her husband is running a so-called restaurant with a bunch of frozen crap and you want to gripe about why she is crying and at her wits end??? Give her a break she is the ONLY ONE making money to pay the bills JMHO
Maybe it was edited that way, but I can't help but agree. The last thing male viewers want to see is constant water works whether it's right or wrong. Taniya and company did a great job on the make over. Robert was great as usual. Glad they're keeping the recipes and doing well. Although a lot of the comments are still negative about the restaurant.
Don't judge her when you don't know her life. She hasn't had it easy the past couple of years and you wouldn't know would you? Keep it to yourself please unless you know the real story.
Its interesting to see all of the people complaining about minor issues also have terrible grammar and spelling errors. Its hard to take a review seriously with numbers used as words, no punctuation, and no capitalization.
Well said, Janae.
The Grammar Police have been heard from. Who cares.
Lighten up lady. Guess we are all not as smart as you. That must really annoy you.
Also well written Janae in MN!
Its should be spelled It's. Sew now eye dont take ewe sereusly?
1-Not everyone has perfect grammar. Such is life
2-Ever consider that maybe the poster's native language is not English
3-I say stop the nit picking as long as you get the idea of the post. It's better than all the freaking spam that no one is doing anything about.
Are you so lazy and uptight that you must look down on people for not using the perfect written English when you know darn well what they are conveying? Minor issues of grammar and minor issues of food health and safety are completely different beasts.
Speaking of which, it should be "It's hard to take" not "Its hard to take" I myself get a little annoyed with proper grammar. However, if you're going to ridicule one about it. You might want to make sure yours is spotless!
Erik admits that his and Tracy"s relationship is still "a work in progress." Eeesh, that dont sound good.
It's also a realistic statement. Anything that got as bad as was said in the show is not a fast fix.
They are really lovely people. They run a clean restaurant and just needed some direction in how to manage their foodstuffs. Unlike some of the other lost causes on this show, I hope and actually think that Bronks will do well in the future.
Actually, Bronks is my favorite design on the show so far. It looks so, so, cool! I would really love to eat there!
Thank God they brought Taniya back!!! Finally a decent redecoration. Looks great, I just hope the servers stop treating the customers like crap.
Sorry, but R:I took another restaurant with history and character that only needed some clean up and to fix the food and staff and yakked all over it. Irvine and his crew's hatred of anything that's older and his recurring hatred of entertainment (the stage could have easily been renovated and had singles and duos and on weekends, bands that would have brought in customers like they do here in the Twin Cities) has gotten tiring. It's a bar and grill people, not a fine dining establishment. They fixed the food and of course people will come back.
I thought the same thing, spend the whole night renovating one patch of floor where the stage was versus leaving the dance floor/stage and reworking the rest of the design to take advantage of another source of revenue. Place looked real large on t.v., could've even done some divider design to have that area separated for large groups, then convert to club space on weekends.
pull your head out of the 20th century, people don't want tired old decor and ho hum food, they want upscale decor and fresh ideas coming out of the kitchen, that's what Robert did.
I agree, Epic Fail. Robert has something against live entertainment. He gets rid of it whenever he overhauls a place that features it.