BIAD 2023

2023 BUSINESS & INDUSTRIAL APPRECIATION DAY AWARD RECIPIENT

A veteran in the restaurant business

They fit together like family

BIAD winner overcomes COVID, worker shortages and more

She enjoys fast-paced work environment

Executive Chef

Jen Pastian

Jacob Dimick

The BIAD event has honored a Douglas County company annually since 1984, based upon the following factors:

Growth in number of employees; the impact on the job market.

Increase in sales and/or unit volume; an indication of continued growth.

Capital investment; an indication of commitment to increase community capacity.

Community contributions; investment of time, skills, and resources to assist in community-oriented projects.

Pike & Pint was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Business and Industrial Appreciation Day (BIAD) Award by the Boards of Directors of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission and Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.

Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission

324 Broadway, Suite 101, Alexandria 320-763-4545 aaedc@alexmn.org www.livingalexarea.org

A publication of the

206 Broadway, Alexandria 320-763-3161 info@alexandriamn.org www.alexandriamn.org

Editor: Al Edenlo

Special Projects Editor: Celeste Edenlo

Photography: Lowell Anderson

Layout/Design: Lori Mork

QUALITYBUILDINGPRODUCTS•INERIORDESIGNCENTER•DRAFTING&DESIGN•HARDWARE&TOOLS WINDOWS•DOORS•ROOFING•SIDING•DECKING&RAILING•ANDSOMUCHMORE!

Pike and Pint sta fits together like

BIAD winner overcomes COVID, worker shortages and more

by Al Edenlo aedenlo @echopress.com

The story of Pike and Pint Grill – this year’s winner of the Business and Industrial Appreciation Day Award – all started with ideas written on a cocktail napkin almost a decade ago.

Kent Kopp was chatting with Vantage Bank President Je Montgomery at Zorbaz, Montgomery raised a simple but intriguing question: “Why don’t you open your own restaurant?”

“This led to multiple mentoring sessions in which Je helped guide us toward our dream,” said Kopp, owner of Pike and Pint.

Through the years, Pike and Pint overcame tough challenges to become a popular and successful business in Alexandria that continues to make a positive impact in the community.

In a question-and-answer interview with the Echo Press, Kopp shared some insights

Kent and Rita Koep, front, owners of Pike and Pint Grill, are pictured with their children, Olivia and Wil. Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

of his restaurant – its history, its hard-working employees, its “secret sauce” for success and its future.

1. What was your reaction when you found out that Pike and Pint would receive the BIAD Award? Honestly, I was pretty shocked. I have attended BIAD luncheons in the past, and pretty much assumed a restaurant probably would not really be in a spot to win this award. Shock quickly switched over to a feeling of appreciation for this community.

2. Give us a brief history of the restaurant – how it began, major milestones, etc. We opened in April of 2015. Like most business launches, we had our share of ups and downs in the first five years, but we managed to slowly build our reputation as a great place to eat. COVID created both tremendous challenges and potential opportunities. It accelerated our plan to remodel the inside of our restaurant and to build a large, beautiful impact patio. The launch of the new patio, coupled with the inside remodel has been a tremendous hit! This has doubled our sales and our sta size.

3. What are the secrets behind Pike and Pint’s success? Do you have a mission statement or a goal that drives that success? I feel the secret sauce of our success is two-fold: 1) We strive to be very

involved with this wonderful community we operate in. We understand that as an area business, and community gathering place, we have an opportunity and responsibility to engage and help out whenever we can. 2) With my experience in both chain and independent restaurants, we have been able to balance some of the best characteristics of both worlds. We have some of the systems and polish of the corporate world, yet we can operate o our principles like an independent. We have found this helps build and retain an awesome sta that fits together like a family.

4. The pandemic was a tough time for the entire restaurant industry. How was Pike and Pint able to get through it? We prayed a lot. We tried to be a positive and helpful voice during those tough times. The community needed more voices of reason and support and the feedback we got from our approach to COVID helped give us hope as well. We were fortunate that many of our guests and business partners/ vendors stepped up in many ways to help keep us whole. I remember on one of my worst days of that time, I opened an envelope from Ste el Pest Control. I assumed it was a bill. It was actually a letter from the owner saying he would not be charging any restaurant in the area for his services while

they were shut down. This gesture, and many other acts of kindness, helped carry me through a very dark time.

What were the challenges? We were forced to completely change our business model, deal with a drastic reduction in revenue, sta shifts around COVID infection and exposures, deal with product shortages and to somehow not lose sta during such a stressful time. I am still amazed that we somehow emerged with most of our sta intact.

5. The BIAD Award recognizes a business’ involvement in the community. Could you provide some examples of how Pike and Pint has supported the community over the years? We are very involved with AAHS and District 206 in general. We have been active with DECA and the marketing classes taught by Eric Hartmann including helping launch the Burger Challenge. I sit on the Advisory Committee for ATCC marketing department. With my local ties to the hockey community, we have worked hard to help support most of the local high school and youth sports organizations. I also chair the RCC Capital Campaign Committee which is fundraising for a third floor to be used for both dry floor events and ice needs at the Runestone FAMILY to page 14

JACOB PALADIE welcomes all dogs to Pike & Pint

He is a big animal and people lover

by Jake Sutherlin jsutherlin@echopress.com

While he might be relatively new to Pike and Pint, Jacob Pal-

adie has a lot of service industry experience under his belt. But he joined this sta roughly a year ago to “expand his horizons and work ethic.” Paladie also felt that Pike and Pint offered more opportunities than his last job did.

He now gets to work as a bartender, a server and as a host.

Each job entails a lot of customer interactions and making sure everyone gets what they need in a timely manner. But wherever he’s stationed for the day, he’s just glad he gets to be of service to people and that he gets to do it alongside a wonderful sta , with whom he enjoys joking with and sharing stories.

“I love the people that I work with and to be able to come to work knowing that we’re a giant family – that’s super relaxing,” Paladie said. “We’re here to take care of one another, and that is something that I really value in a workplace, waking up every day knowing that, regardless of what’s going on, they are with me.”

He also loves when customers bring their dogs to sit with them on the patio.

“It’s amazing to see how everyone [on the patio] bonds to-

gether over an animal,” Paladie said. “If you’re ever having a bad day [at the restaurant], that’ll just switch everything around.”

Paladie has a pair of dogs himself, two black retrievers –one of which he described as “rambunctious” and the other as a “big baby.” When he gets o work, he enjoys spending time with his dogs, or any other animal for that matter. He also likes to travel, watch movies (primarily horror films), play video games and kayak.

He loves living in Alexandria because of all the lakes and is grateful that there is so much to do during the summertime. He moved here about 20 years ago, having left the Minneapolis-St. Paul area when he was 11.

“The community is really nice, and most of the people are always very friendly,” Paladie said.

Jacob Paladie

by Sam Stuve sstuve@echopress.com

Austin Scott is originally from Alexandria but moved away to Fargo for a time.

After spending nine years in Fargo, he’s back in Alexandria and has worked in the kitchen at Pike and Pint for eight months.

“They care about their employees,” Scott said of his employer. “If something comes up or you have a family emergency, all you got to do is let them know and they’re really cooperative with your needs. And then people that have certain schedules or people with kids, they work around that very well. And it’s a very relaxed environment for cooking. They have enough people here, and the sta is really good. I’m a big fan

of working here. They treat their employees better than some other restaurants do.”

Scott got started cooking on sautees but has worked up to work at all of the stations.

Scott said there are eight or nine chefs working at a time which alleviates stress at busy times.

“They have me bounce around a lot,” Scott said. “Every day is a di erent surprise. It’s good because you have to keep learning new stu about each station.”

Scott said walleye specials are some of the more popular items on the menu, but that really a lot of other things could be up there as well, depending on the day.

“We have the buttercrumb walleye, we have the walleye bites, and those things are con-

stantly flying out the door,” he said. “Sometimes we’ll get four or five of those on one ticket. The poke bowls are also really popular.”

Scott is a big fan of cooking the poke bowl.

“You can make it with avocados and slice them a certain way, and it really adds to the presentation of it,” he said. “It’s a nice summertime item right now. Anything with avocados,

I’m a big fan of.”

When he’s not working, one of his favorite things to do is something that many Minnesotans love to do: Go fishing.

“I love it,” he said. “I’m sure if you ask anyone back here, they love to do it as well. If I’m working one of those long shifts, sometimes during that hour break, I’ll go fishing and just relax before heading back to work.”

Austin Scott

JOSHUA FISHER recommends the fish tacos ... and the fire-roasted BBQ wings

by Jake Sutherlin jsutherlin@echopress.com

Joshua Fisher moved to Alexandria a little under a year ago and joined Pike and Pint shortly after as a host and busser. But he got to join the serving team in April.

“[For hosts] greeting customers, obviously, is the most important thing,” Fisher said. “But then also keeping track of where people are seated and making sure you’re seating all the servers evenly and are able to accommodate groups as well as possible. And for serving, you make sure they get the food and drink that they need and create a pleasant experience throughout their meal.”

He applied to work at the restaurant because his parttime job wasn’t enough to make ends meet, but he chose the restaurant industry because it’s ubiquitous and flexible, and he can take those skills with him wherever he goes. People are always going to want to eat.

His favorite part of working at Pike and Pint is his fellow employees. He doesn’t describe himself as the most outgoing person, but he says this crew makes working there fun, and he enjoys getting to laugh at everyone’s stories. Also, the food is great.

What’s the best dish?

“Probably the fish tacos, but I also really like the fire-roasted barbeque wings. Actually, that’s

probably my favorite,” Fisher said.

Despite a great experience in the restaurant, Fisher dreams of being part of musical theater and will be going to school for it this fall. His favorite musical is Newsies, and he likes to play board games and watch movies in his free time.

His current board game crush is “7 Wonders,” which he plays with his sister, Dionne. “I haven’t been doing well,” Fisher laughed.

Joshua Fisher

TARA KLEIN brings almost 30 years experience to Pike and Pint

by Travis Gulbrandson tgulbrandson@echopress.com

Tara Klein has worked at Alexandria restaurants as a server for almost 30 years, interacting with and getting to know her customers.

She has worked the day shift at Pike and Pint, generally from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for seven years.

Among her various responsibilities are greeting, waiting on and serving the guests.

“Once you start this kind of work, it’s kind of hard to get out of it,” Klein said. “I enjoy the people, pleasing people and the contact, I guess. The serving aspect of it, once you get it into your blood it’s kind of hard to get out.”

Klein began her almost 30-year restaurant career at The Wharf on Lake L’Homme Dieu.

“ I went from The Wharf to Old Broadway,” she said. “I worked at The Wharf for four years, Old Broadway for 11 years, and then Bella’s on Broadway for seven years, and now I’m here.”

In all that time, Klein has managed to accumulate a number of regulars.

“I actually have people who come in and say, ‘Can we sit in your section?’” she said. “So that’s kind of nice. And when you see

the smiles on people’s faces, that’s nice.”

Klein said she has really enjoyed her time at Pike and Pint.

“Kent is a really good owner to work for,” she said. “The atmosphere of this place I really like, the patio is (beyond) compare. … And the coworkers here are outstanding. When you have a good sta and good coworkers it makes the job much easier.”

The number of tables Klein waits on varies from day to day, she said.

“I would say I probably have 15 tables a day,” she said. “This time of year, the patio is the place to be. Kent is very good about rotating sections, so if you’re inside one day you’re outside the next. He’s very good about rotating the sections, to make it fair for everybody. That’s what makes him such a good boss, making it fair. It’s nice.”

In addition to the regular customers, there are also employees who come back repeatedly.

“We have a lot of college kids come back … on a year-to-year basis, who come back and want to work again, so that’s nice. That’s a very good sign that it’s a good place to work,” Klein said. “I know serving’s not a high-end job or anything, but the money’s good, especially when you’re in college.”

When she isn’t at work, Klein likes to

spend time with her family, go for bike rides, work in the garden and read.

Working as a server is something Klein recommends to others who are looking for a flexible schedule.

“The reason why I got into it was I could stay home and it was a flexible schedule,” she said. “My daughter’s never ridden the school bus, I’ve been at every activity she’s had … so that’s why I’ve stayed in this industry. I’ve never missed anything because for the past 30 years, it’s worked.”

Tara Klein

PASTIAN enjoys fast-paced work environment at Pike & Pint

by Travis Gulbrandson tgulbrandson@echopress.com

Executive Chef Jen Pastian has worked at Pike and Pint Grill in Alexandria since it opened in 2015, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pastian describes her various responsibilities thusly: “Hiring and maintaining

sta , connecting with sta , setting the tone for the day, doing the truck orders, making sure the prep lists are done, making sure the food is correct and everything’s fresh, taking care of any issues in the kitchen, or maintenance issues. It’s a lot.”

Another aspect Pastian has to keep in mind is the fact that Pike and Pint has what is known as a scratch kitchen.

“Being a scratch kitchen, all of our sauces are from scratch, we cut steaks here, we cut our seafood here, all of that,” she said. “So to maintain the freshness we have to maintain certain parts every day. You do so much of something, so hopefully you sell that number and you don’t have a lot extra.

“Always keeping an eye on quality is a huge thing,” she said.

Pastian also has to accommodate revolving menus.

“We try to do a feature menu,” she said. “We do about two over the summer, and then when it comes to wintertime we can change it up a little more often, because we have room to change and play and be creative.”

The menu changes in the spring and the fall seasons, generally, Pastian said.

When making plans for these changes there are a number of things that have to

be considered, for instance the availability of the ingredients in question.

“You’ve got to be able to get it in on a consistent basis,” Pastian said.

Execution and prep times must also be considered, she said.

An Osakis graduate, Pastian has worked with food since she was in high school, when she worked in delis.

“Then I started out with Bennigans when they opened up in 2008 as a prep cook, and then worked up through management there, and then when Kent took over I started as a supervisor and went from there,” she said.

Pastian said it may be the fast-paced environment that she likes most of all.

“Things are always changing, at Pike and Pint especially, because it’s always fresh and we get to be a little more creative with those special menus that we’re coming out with,” she said. “As far as the cooking, having the creativity and the flexibility to kind of play with food and do something di erent and see how the public reacts to it, if they like it. That’s kind of exciting, but the best part of coming here is our crew. … It’s like a big family here. That’s one of the best parts of the job.”

Jen Pastian

Meet JACOB DIMICK a veteran in the restaurant business

by Sam Stuve sstuve@echopress.com

Jacob Dimick brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Pike and Pint as a senior manager.

He’s worked in the restaurant industry for 26 years and has been at Pike and Pint since March 2021.

And over the last five years that he’s lived in Minnesota, he’s noticed one thing. Minnesota nice is real.

“This city is an example of that,” Dimick said. “Everybody looks out for everybody, and everybody knows everybody. It’s a nice big little small town.”

Dimick oversees about 48 employees at Pike and Pint.

“I’m directly in charge of the servers and bartenders,” he said. “ I have a great team. They do a really good job. It’s a very close family here. Everybody

helps one another. Everybody works together. If I had to have a family away from my real family, this would be it. I’m happy to come to work every day.”

Dimick likes to be able to see everything.

“I like to fix things,” he said. “If there’s a problem, and I have the opportunity to fix it, I like doing it. And I also like meeting new people. I get to meet all kinds of people in this business.”

Dimick’s favorite items on the menu are the scallops, spicy Italian sandwich, and the caramel ice cream pie.

Dimick is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and has been working at a restaurant since age 14.

Over the course of 26 years, plenty of change has happened in the restaurant industry.

“When I started working in a restaurant, everything was on paper tickets or reservation

sheets,” he said. “Now it’s all computers, and it’s just more e icient that way. Ever since COVID hit, there’s been a lot more tra ic with to-go orders and takeouts. That’s been the most recent change.”

Dimick met his wife in 2018 when he went to visit his dad in St. Cloud, who happened to be neighbors with his (Jacob’s) future father-in-law.

Shortly after that visit, Dimick moved in with his dad for a few months and then eventually moved in to live with his wife in Alexandria a couple of months later to start a life with her and her kids.

Dimick’s favorite things to do outside of work include spending time with his family, camping, fishing, and doing a lot of other outdoor activities.

Jacob Dimick

A HEART-TO-HEART talk with her boss helps server

by Celeste Edenlo cedenlo @echopress.com

Jaci Capouch has worked at Pike and Pint since the beginning. Starting on March 1, 2015, Capouch is a supervisor/server.

Previously, she worked at Bug-A-Boo Bay, a restaurant that has been closed now for a few years. She originally ap-

plied at Pike and Pint because Bug-A-Boo closed for the winters and she didn’t like being o all winter long. Capouch had intended on going back to work at the restaurant once it opened for summer, but fell in love with working at Pike and Pint.

“Rita and Kent (the owners) are the most amazing people,” she said. “They really, truly care

about their employees. And you see it every day, every single day.”

She shared, however, that at first she wasn’t sure if she was going to stay or not. About a month or so after the restaurant opened, Capouch said she wasn’t sure if she was really “feeling it.”

“I was eating lunch one day and Kent asked if he could join me. I was sick to my stomach. I’ve gotten along with all my bosses, but I just wasn’t clicking here.”

Capouch said that as he sat down, he started talking about the businesses and then told her that every night when he goes home, he would think about how he was everyone’s paychecks and that he had to make the business work because everyone depended on him to pay their bills and feed their families.

“I have never, in all my years of doing this, thought about it that way,” she said. “And right there, I knew I wasn’t leaving. I

have never heard anyone say that before. He said that is why he got stressed out sometimes because he didn’t want to have to shut the door. He told me that sometimes he doesn’t sleep at night because so-and-so has to pay for daycare and so he has to make it work. I was blown away by that.”

Capouch joked that everytime she gets mad at him she thinks about that day. In all seriousness, she said they work well together and that after that day, she let her guard down and that everything was going to be OK.

As for her favorite menu item, Capouch said as a vegetarian/ pescatarian, she gets the thai noodle salad at least twice a week.

Capouch has been married for 25 years to her husband, Terry, who will be retiring from the Army in November. They have two sons, Cody, 24, who is in the Air Force and Noah, 20, who is pre-med attending the University of Minnesota.

Jaci Capouch

MARK EYLANDT Prep cook takes pride in his work

He makes soups and sauces from scratch

by Celeste Edenlo cedenlo @echopress.com

As a supervisor/prep cook at Pike and Pint, Mark Eylandt gets the kitchen set up every morning.

Eylandt says he takes inventory every morning so that he knows what needs to be prepped for the day. He also is in charge of making the soups and sauces and just about everything they use is made from scratch.

But it is not just him in the kitchen, he said. Eylandt said there are several people who come in and help.

He moved to the area from the Twin Cities area about 23 years ago and his first job was at Old Broadway, a restaurant that was once located in downtown Alexandria. A friend of his got him the job and he has been in the restaurant business ever since.

Eylandt has worked at Pike and Pint for about seven years. He never had any formal training, he said, but has always learned on the job. He also loves watching a lot of cooking shows on television, including “Brunch with Bobby” and “America’s Test Kitchen.”

When it comes to his favorite foods at Pike and Pint, Eylandt said he is partial to the Korean tacos and he also likes cheeseburgers. His favorite

food to prepare is any of the soups.

“We sell a lot of soup here,” he said, noting that his favorite is either the chicken wild rice or the Asian pork.

He said he loves working at Pike and Pint because it is a great place to work.

“We have a lot of nice people and I like telling people around town that I work here,” said Eylandt. “It’s kind of like a pride thing.”

When not working, Eylandt likes to golf, fish and watch the Minnesota Wild.

Mark Eylandt

FAMILY from page 4

Community Center. We also support dozens of fundraising initiatives run by other charitable organizations throughout each year.

6. How many employees do you have? We bounce between 75-90 depending on the season, including seven salaried managers and chefs.

Has it changed? Yes, pre-COVID we employed around 40 people and three salaried sta .

7. Let’s talk more about your employees. What role do they play in the success of the restaurant? They are everything. They are our most important resource. As managers/owners our job is to do whatever we can to help our employees do the heavy lifting to wow our guests. Without our awesome team, we have nothing.

8. Dream a little. What does the future hold for Pike and Pint a decade down the road? Well, we started a new phase of our future this past winter by consulting on the launch of the 205 Grill food concept at Copper Trail Brewing. As I get a little longer in the tooth, and as we continue to build our

leadership team at Pike and Pint, my dream is to still oversee operations at Pike, while o ering my passion and experience in the industry to other businesses around the region as a consultant. It is very rewarding to help businesses launch or relaunch their food concepts as they chase down their own dreams. We are also evaluating our current kitchen facilities and capabilities at Pike and Pint and, whether or not, an outdoor commercial kitchen would be feasible and profitable.

9. What is your personal favorite item on the menu? Korean BBQ Beef Tacos. I remember when we first launched in 2015, few people would try them as our community had not seen much Korean BBQ in the area. Eventually, I turned some friends on to them, and now through word of mouth, they are one of our top selling items on the menu.

10. What is something the general public may not know about Pike and Pint? I think most of the community is aware how our parking lot started to look so much busier in the summer of 2021 when we launched the new patio. I don’t think they are aware of what it took behind the scenes to deal with such a large wave of unprecedented business. We ba-

sically doubled our pre-COVID sales as we transitioned from pandemic restrictions to wide open dining. I cannot overstate how incredibly di icult this was for all involved. We were all working more hours than typical and there was so little “down time” on any day to catch your breath. We somehow added 25 employees that first month or two during an incredible di icult hiring environment. The lesson learned for all of us was that we all have the capacity to step up to another level that we didn’t believe we had. We saw so much growth by so many members of our team. I especially continue to be amazed by our kitchen team. Each summer, they cook for 300 seats, inside and out, in a kitchen that was built to cook for 200. We are fortunate that this wonderful group of overachievers all came together as a family right when we needed them the most. A successful restaurant is kind of like a magic show. As a guest, you see a well-oiled machine delivering awesome food and service. Yet, you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes, it is organized chaos that somehow, we all wrangle into a successful shift. There is not a better feeling in the world than to sit back in disbelief and wonder how we made that happen.

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