As you walk away from the riverfront, towards Iowa Avenue, you will come upon Boonies on the Avenue. Boonies is a restaurant with a warm and inviting atmosphere. Servers welcome you in, and you are able to sit wherever you’d like.
“In 1992 we opened up bootleggers with partners and we were only in operation for five years. Due to the partners, the business didn’t work out so we sold out to them. Then when Cord graduated from high school in 2013, that’s when we opened up Boonies,” said Teresa Kleist, an owner of Boonies.
Every single person you come across will meet you with kindness and a warm smile. The environment is structured around the employee shirts that display, “Be Nice or Leave,” which is a very important motto for everyone at the restaurant.
“People just need to be nice. I mean there’s no reason to be mean. There’s so many reasons why your food is running late or your waitress is behind. Whether your waitress has 20 tables, you know. They just don’t see the to-go orders, the side room, all of the behind the scenes on why their food is late,” said Teresa.
The environment at Boonies is usually pretty busy, but the servers and expos work hard to provide great service to the customers.
Delaney Krogman has been serving at Boonies for two years and she said, “I actually enjoy coming to work. Waitressing is my favorite because, personally, it is more enjoyable. My day goes by faster and I make more money.”
Since Boonies is a sports bar, the bartender has a lot of responsibility and makes drinks for the entire restaurant.
“I’m never bored, there’s always something to do. It’s really fast paced. This bartending job is different from others, because you’re not just making drinks for your own customers, but everybody else’s too. I like it when I get to make a new cocktail menu and come up with some new ideas, that’s probably one of my favorite things,” said Cassidy Probasco who has been a bartender at Boonies for 5+ years.
The employees thoroughly enjoy working at Boonies, which is very prominent within the welcoming environment.
“I started working here because of Mckenna Kopf, and it looked fun and sounded fun. I started doing salads because I wanted more hours and it looked enjoyable,” said Delaney.
Whether you decide to eat there or think that you want to apply, you will have a good time and receive top tier service.
“I just hope that people love Boonies for what it is. Whether it be our employees, the customers, or the atmosphere. Boonies is just a good place. And I’m not just saying that,” said Teresa.
