Jan. 5, 2023

Arctic temperatures last month slowed traffic into stores and restaurants in the Jones421 Building in downtown Sioux Falls, chilling business in what usually is a busy month.

Then, a burst pipe on Christmas Day caused damage to businesses and condos on two floors. The aftermath, however, drew together both those who chose to make the historic building their home and those who placed their business dreams within its doors.

Now, businesses are looking ahead and devising ways to draw in new and returning customers. For Inkka Beaudoin, owner of Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen, that means burgers and music. Down the hall at ‘Brosia Bowl, it will mean new offerings such as meal-prep services and cooking classes.

As cleanup in Jones421 continues, ‘Brosia Bowl owner Darcy Green has a message for diners and shoppers.

“It’s a mess down here, but we’re open, we’re here for them,” she said.

The Christmas Day flooding affected five condos on the second floor with a sixth sustaining a wet carpet, said Zach Dickson, condo board president. The Jones421 Building has four floors and a basement. The top three floors have been converted into residences.

The water that sat on the wood floors will cause warping and require replacement, Dickson said. The floodwater also cascaded down the stairwells, but the exterior carpeting there will not need replacement. The electronic chips that operate the elevators also were damaged.

The unit Dickson and his wife own had about an inch of water over one-quarter of its space. They were having Christmas dinner at her parents’ home when he received a call saying water was flowing over the second floor.

“Six residents were already helping clean up when I arrived,” Dickson said. “It was amazing to see just how quickly everyone in our Jones community came together and started to take care of the water. A few of them were downstairs, too, helping push water out of Intoxibakes and Swamp Daddy’s and Henna Harvest. It was an amazing sight to see.”

When Inkka Beaudion and her husband, Julian, arrived at their restaurant about 6:30 Christmas night, it looked like cleanup would be a losing battle.

“It was still pouring out of the ceiling,” Julian Beaudion said. “Finally, the water started to stop at 9 or 9:30.”

In the days that followed, Swamp Daddy’s received a deep cleaning with three consecutive days of 12-hour efforts. During that time, new prep cooks also were trained. Swamp Daddy’s reopened on the Thursday after Christmas, in time for a regularly scheduled event it calls Guest List.

Most reconstruction at Swamp Daddy’s will wait until after January, so the restaurant can take part in the annual Downtown Burger Battle. The event draws thousands of people to sample the burgers prepared by participating restaurants. This year, 32 businesses are participating.

Swamp Daddy’s is offering a Magnolia Burger made of beef, short rib and andouille sausage with a secret sauce. The Beaudoins hope their burger will mark a change in fortunes after a disappointing two months. Even before December’s prolonged cold spell, they had seen a puzzling drop in business.

On Dec. 21, Swamp Daddy’s posted a photo of an empty restaurant during what should have been a lunch-hour rush. Responses to the post praised the food with several commenting on the difficulty finding parking spaces. Other customers contradicted that, and the next day 40 to 50 diners came out to eat.

“Honestly, November wasn’t as cold as it normally is, and that was even a struggle,” Beaudoin said. “I’ve talked with several others, and coming out of COVID and the inflation that was already happening, it seemed as if the food industry was hit hard. There are several businesses that are stressed downtown and in jeopardy.”

The Burger Battle means January is Swamp Daddy’s busiest month by far, and this month’s event will be the first for the restaurant in its newer, larger location in the Jones421 Building. The owners hope to double sales. With a larger kitchen and new equipment, the cooks can make more burgers faster, Beaudoin said.

But they’re not relying on just that. They plan to bring in more live music with genres other than jazz. A karaoke night also is being considered. As they make plans, however, the weather continues to fight local businesses with this week’s storm causing many to close Tuesday and Wednesday.

At ‘Brosia Bowl, plans for 2023 include the new meal-prep service and a push to educate people on developing the habit of healthy eating. The vegan/vegetarian restaurant will offer meal preparation, Green said. She also is looking to expand her meals into more locations. Pomegranate Market carries bowls and salads.

“We offer meal prep to pick up twice a week at the store, and if there are any dietary restrictions, I’ll work with them,” Green said. “We’ll have cooking classes as well, the basics of cooking more with plants and techniques and flavor combinations.”

Green and neighboring business owner Andell Wuebben of Henna Harvest are making plans to offer wine-and-canvas classes and perhaps anti-Valentine’s Day festivities.

Like retail stores, restaurants depend on pre-Christmas sales, Green said. Gift cards help familiarize new diners with other places to eat. This year’s pre-Christmas sales started fine, then the cold weather and storms shut down traffic, she said.

The Burger Battle definitely makes a difference in bringing people to downtown restaurants, Green said. While ‘Brosia Bowl cannot participate officially, since it does not serve meat, she has placed a vegan burger on her menu.

Intoxibakes owners planned to be closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 2 to “rest, recharge and spend time with family.” That didn’t go as expected, co-owner Holly Jorgenson said. The flooding damaged the bakery’s ovens, and they had to order new ones. If the ovens arrive as scheduled Friday, the shop will reopen Tuesday.

The Jones421 Building is essentially full, with one condominium available and one first-floor commercial space open. That was a temporary spot for REACH Literacy’s bookshop, and it’s now being used as a space for sale items for Interiors Etc. during January.