An Interview with McLoughlins

Living in Riverfront Park means you certainly know one pub by heart. And just like that old Cheers show with norm and cliff, the beauty of this gem is that everyone really does know your name. Of course sometimes that is because you had a little bit too much fun the night before and your antics are well remembered. This, of course, is not a story about me and my friends… It is everybody else.
McLoughlin’s is like a den mother that is always there to make sure you are well fed, warm, and never thirsty. When we are working 80 hour weeks they have been kind enough to bring over our lunch and make sure we don’t forget to eat. When we come home late at night and want to regroup with friends for a nightcap they are open until their 2 am closing, no matter how slow their evening is. When you need a great meal and a friendly face they are always there. The people are great, the food is great, and the beer is cold.

And I haven’t even told you how great the summers are sitting out on the patio. That was the best.

During the blizzard when everything was shut down they kept us fed until the last scrap of food was gone. How’s that for reliability.

So join me in getting to know a little bit more about McLoughlins and Jon Koenig General Manager/Owner.

For those who haven’t visited you yet, can you share a brief
description of McLoughlins (Food, ambiance, vision, people)?

We set out to create a restaurant featuring modern american cuisine in a casual, relaxed environment. Basically we wanted a place that people would feel comfortable coming in after work in a pair of jeans, and have a burger and couple of beers. But also a place where people felt fine dressing up, sharing a bottle of wine, and eating a steak. It’s also become a “neighborhood” place, and on any given night, you will know half of the people in here.

McLoughlins has an Irish heritage. Can you share a little bit
about the owners, how you came to be in Denver, and more about the
history?

Frank and Jim McLoughlin, natives of Dublin, Ireland. Frank came to
the states almost 20 years ago, working for Fado Irish Pub in Atlanta. He
moved to denver 7 years ago to open the Fado here, then
teamed up with Jim to open the Irish Snug, their first pub, almost 3
years ago. Jim moved to Chicago about 7 years ago, and owns some
property there. He has an extensive background in Accounting and CFO
duties for large corporations. He travels constantly between the
two cities, racking up tons of mileage for free trips if he were ever
to get any time off.

Talk about locating in Riverfront Park and the Central Platte
Valley and what attracted you to this location. Are there unique
elements to this location?

Riverfront Park is a beautiful new development right next to the heart of
Denver. We are proud to be part of the development. We feel like we are
playing our part in creating a new neighborhood and we love our new
neighbors.

Where do you get your menu ideas? Do you have any favorites?

The menu creation is a culmination of Frank, Jim and myself. After
deciding on the basic idea of what we wanted on the menu, we each
brought ideas to the table, mostly favorite dishes we had, some
things we had cooked for ourselves or our families. Then the fun
part, I got to prepare everything and we all tasted. Some were
excellent, and we all agreed they should be on. Some where not so
great and didn’t make the cut. We’ve revised the menu a few times
since we opened; bringing Nick on as our Kitchen manager a month or
two after we opened. He has brought considerable expertise to the
mix, and some of his creations have become our most popular menu
items. I think my personal favorite dish is the Arabiatta pasta. It’s
a vodka, cream and tomato pasta, slightly spicy. It’s tasty, and it’s
made with booze. Win – win!

Every member of your team has been a rockstar when I’ve been
there, can you share a bit about who they are?

We’ve two bartenders that have been with us since the beginning,
Tommy and Doug. I met Tommy at Fado years ago, and Doug the day of
his wedding. He came into the Irish Snug before the wedding. I bought
him a guinness and a breakfast and sent him on his way. Nick our
kitchen manager is a bit of a sports freak, and it always amazes me
the stats and knowledge he can come up with. Vinny is our main dinner
cook, and he’s a good guy, with dubious connections to denver mafia.
I try not to yell at him too much. Our other staff members Chloe,
Sarah, Jessica, Loren, Jake, Sarah, our other manager Tina, and our
day guys, brothers Demetrio and Enrique all bring their own personal
flair to the place. Chloe speaks fluent french and makes fun of me
when I say wine names. Sarah was hired as part time, but has yet to
work under 40 hours a week for us. Jessica’s wisconsin accent comes
out when she’s had a couple. Loren lives only two blocks away, but
still never manages to come in on time. Jake is one of the more
enthusiastic people I’ve worked with. Sarah has a green thumb and
helped build up our flower boxes for the winter. Tina’s “No BS”
attitude is enviable. Demetrio and Enrique manage to make everything
spicy.

What’s on tap and how do you decide what is flowing?

We’ve tried to hit all of the bases when it came to the alcohol. Of
course the guinness, along with other irish favorites Smithwick’s
(pronounced Smithick’s, silent ‘w’) and Harp. English beers Bass and
Strongbow cider, local brews from Odell’s in Ft. Collins, Easy Street
Wheat and 90 Shillings, Stella Artois and French lager Kronenbourg,
and a certain regulars’ personal favorite, Coors Light.. Our wine
list is fairly extensive, with 69 bottles total, 24 of which we serve
by the glass. It’s broken down by New World and Old World and has
something for everybody.

What about Special Events? Are there dates we should have in
our calendars not to miss?

Obviously St. Patrick’s day. We are planning on doing something
similar to last year. We will cover the patio, have a few bands, a
few special Irish dishes, and the Guinness will be flowing non-stop.

Located right on the Plaza, you have to have some great
stories. Can you share some of the most memorable moments or
sights you have seen?

Needless to say, during the blizzard of ’06 most of our staff had no
chance to get to work for a couple of days. But being the
neighborhood place that we are, we were determined to open somehow.
Being the only one with a 4 wheel drive, I managed to plow my way
down here. It was my day off, and I had only just rolled out of bed
and headed into work. Frank had walked all of the way from the Snug
with his girlfriend (downing and colfax) and so with the three of us,
we decided to open up with a limited menu. For the next 8 hours we
were completely swamped. Our patio became the place to park your
snowboard, skis or sled. Frank, Suzie (who has never waited tables)
and I ran around trying to take care of everyone. I was wearing my
pajamas, (never had a chance to go back home and change). A couple of
the staff found a way to get to work, so things got a little smoother
after that. I think everybody who came in understood the situation,
and nobody left too angry. In the end it was a great day for us.

You certainly have a loyal following here in Riverfront. What
do you credit this to? Do you have a unique philosophy to taking
care of your customers and neighbors?

I think the main reason we’ve been a success has been our staff. We
encourage them all to let their own personalities flow while they’re
working. I think it creates a very special atmosphere, one that our
customers have really enjoyed.

Anything else the folks out there should know? Anything new
down the road?

We have been tweaking our brunch menu, and we invite people to come
down on the weekends. We open at 9am every saturday and sunday, and
serve brunch until 3pm.