March 14, 2022

They call themselves “Jane’s Boys” and they are — in a business sense and by blood.

The three sons of Mike Slattery and the late Jane Slattery have formed a new family business and become the next owners of southeast South Dakota mainstay establishments Whimp’s Place in Burbank and Toby’s Lounge in Meckling.

Tom, Nick and Jim Slattery

Nick, Tom and Jim Slattery have had their mother in mind every step of the way after losing her to cancer last summer at age 72.

“She passed away leaving a legacy of fellowship, service, determination and ingenuity to us, which has guided us through our years as business owners, husbands and fathers,” Tom Slattery said.

Nick Slattery of Vermillion, along with his business partner, Randy Sibson, have a built a successful construction company known as AMS Building Systems that now employs more than 30 people in the Vermillion area and includes home construction, commercial construction and The Lumberyard LLC.

Nick and his wife, Cindy, along with their two kids, Rayanna, 15, and Shane, 10, have built their life in the community and are involved in numerous activities.

Tom Slattery of Sioux Falls, along with his wife, Jean, own JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars, The Boozy Bakery and JJ’s Axes & Ales. Over the past 20 years, JJ’s has become an industry leader in the area, ranked No. 1 in 2021 on the Sioux Falls Local Best for adult-beverage retailers and being named Beverage Dynamics No. 15 Retailer of the Year in a national survey of adult-beverage professionals.

Tom and Jean have two children. Aaron, 24, is a chemical engineer with Direct Cos. in Sioux Falls, and James, who goes by Jace, 22, is the fourth generation in his family to attend USD and works at JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars with his parents.

Jim Slattery of Meckling, by way of Gilbert, Arizona, and his wife, Carmen, will be permanent residents of Meckling at some point soon, the family said. Jim has been a software engineer and business manager for Analytic Owl, serving as chief technology officer for about 10 years, and has been involved in software engineering with other entities for almost 20 years. Jim and Carmen have four kids: Hannah, 20, who will be a sophomore Coyote next year; Lucas, 17; Jacob, 7; and Ethan, 4. Carmen will remain in Arizona for a year while Lucas finishes up high school before bringing everyone under one roof again.

“Jane’s Boys was the name we came up with (for the family business),” Nick said. “We knew when we decided to purchase Whimp’s Place, that doing it as a family was going to be the only way it would work, and that’s a credit to Mom, so Jane’s Boys it is.”

Three paths, one goal

Jane’s fingerprints are everywhere as her sons have begun taking on their latest venture, Tom said.

“Mom taught us a lot. She taught us how to fix things. She taught us how to create and use our imaginations. She taught us how to figure things out before calling for help,” he said. “Mom was not one to ever let someone tell her that she couldn’t do something.”

For the last 40 years of her life, Jane battled the chronic pain disease known as CRPS.

“Mom was always in pain. I can’t remember a point in time that you would ever know that though,” Tom said, even as cancer started to complicate things even more about four years ago.

“The one thing that Mom and Dad taught us that has been a commonality between all three of us is that relationships … building, developing and nurturing, were going to be the foundation of success, in anything that we do,” Jim said.

This, to a large extent, is why the Slatterys say they bought these two businesses: to nurture relationships they collectively have developed over the past 30 years and to build new relationships in and around the community by assuring the longevity, growth and legacy of Whimp’s Place and Toby’s Lounge.

Burbank legend

Whimp’s Place was opened by “Whimp” Girard in 1967 in Burbank. Built in a former train station, it is located along the railroad tracks and highway that connect Elk Point and Vermillion.

Many people remember the sign directing folks to Whimp’s Place along Highway 50, just as you get off Interstate 29, heading west toward Vermillion.

Known mainly for classic Americana cuisine, steaks and broasted chicken — a theme in this acquisition — Whimp’s was known to most college students who attend USD as the place to go on Thursday nights for all-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs, the brothers said.

“We are certainly going to keep that tradition,” Jim said. “We are going to keep a lot of things the same as folks have known them for 50-plus years. But what we are doing is providing some new energy to the operational components of the business and a few new items and experiences that we feel are needed to keep the business growing.”

The family ties to Whimp’s “go way back,” Nick added.

The Radigan family of Vermillion owned and operated Whimp’s in some capacity since 1980, and the Radigans and Slatterys were very close growing up in the Vermillion area. So when it came time for the most recent Radigan to retire, his first call was to a Slattery.

Dan and Missy Radigan, along with their kids, owned and operated Whimp’s since Dan’s brother Jeff died more than a decade ago.

“When Mom passed away last summer, we spent some time at Whimp’s as family members converged to celebrate her life. Conversations were had, and the ball started rolling, and now here we are,” Nick continued.

Meckling destination

Toby’s Lounge was started in 1971 by Toby and Dolly Larson, along with Toby’s brother Verlyn and “pretty much the entire town of Meckling,” Tom said — including the Slattery family. Mike Slattery still lives there.

“Growing up, we were always here,” Tom said.

Jane’s family farm is 1 mile south and 1 mile east of Meckling, known as the Hay Capital of the Universe.

“This blue building was the first thing we would see as we approached from any direction for visits to Grandma and Grandpa’s and was always an indication that our time on the road was coming to an end and that great adventures await,” Tom said.

The history with the Larson family predates the opening of Toby’s, so there was always a connection with the families.

“Toby and our grandparents went to Meckling High School together,” Jim said. “Fast-forward, it’s where I met my wife, Carmen, and where Tom poured his first drink as a bartender over 30 years ago. There is a crack in the mirror above the bar. Our Uncle Mike cracked that mirror before Toby’s even opened as he was stacking beer in the cooler and hit the wall a little too hard.”

That mirror has never been repaired — leaving a constant reminder of the connection of these two families and this business.

“It only made sense for them to buy it,” said Deb Larson, Toby’s daughter. “We, my brother Clark and I, were ready to move on, and we wanted to make sure the business was going to survive. Selling to Jane’s Boys was a no-brainer.”

Toby’s Lounge is famous for chicken — specifically broasted chicken. The menu is simple, which was what Toby always insisted on, the family said. Nothing too complicated — just chicken. Over the years, he added breaded shrimp dinners and a couple of other items, but the menu really is about the chicken.

“We aren’t changing anything about what has been served here for over 50 years,” said Jim, who will be charged with managing both Toby’s and Whimp’s. “Our grandfather and mother taught us well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

That being said, it does need updating to attract new clientele, the brothers added.

“We plan on adding a few different things to improve on the experience when you visit, but we will keep everything else that folks have known for years intact,” Jim said.

Toby’s, Whimp’s & JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars

Both Toby’s and Whimp’s serve broasted chicken. So who does it better? Collectively, all three brothers indicated that Toby’s was the winner there.

“We will be changing the recipe at Whimp’s to match Toby’s as the chicken at Toby’s is as good as it gets, and we want folks to have the same quality when it comes to broasted chicken at either place operated by Jane’s Boys,” Jim said.

Other than that, the two businesses are very different but have similar clientele. That’s where Tom comes in.

“We have developed a business at JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars in Sioux Falls that is based on the fundamental principle that elevating the customer experience is the primary focus in everything we do,” he said.

“Whether it’s purchasing adult beverages to go home, spending time with food and drink in JJ’s Bar or throwing axes and socializing at JJ’s Axes & Ales, it’s all about the experience. And we want to bring some of that to Whimp’s and Toby’s.”

The plan is to expand off-sale adult-beverage sales at both places, he said.

“Think ‘Powered by JJ’s,’” Tom said. “We have some operational components to get nailed down before we go heavy into it, but it is something we have our sights set in on.”

Jane’s Boys also is bringing craft cocktails, quality wine products and locally made craft beer to both businesses, “as we want to start drawing some new business to both places, and these are things, along with great food, that folks are looking for when they are traveling for a meal,” he said.

The excitement he hears from some of his most loyal customers about visiting these two places is palpable, he continued.

“We have a very captive audience here at JJ’s, and when the news broke about our acquisition of these two iconic places, the stories started coming in about personal experiences at both places. And they are all excited to see what we can do with them.”

What’s next

Jim will be charged with managing both businesses. Tom is offering guidance from more than 30 years in the industry, and Nick is providing a lot of the financial backing for both businesses and serving as the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to getting things done, the brothers said.

That said, they do need more help.

“We are hiring right now,” Jim said.

“We are in need of cooks and servers at both places, and as the business grows, the need for assistant managers and other key roles will be needed as well. We want to bring folks in who want to grow with us. We are developing a culture with Jane’s Boys that is going to provide long-lasting career positions with top pay and benefits over time.”

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