By Jill Callison, for SiouxFalls.Business

When Paul Ode decided to propose marriage on Dec. 23, 2018, he chose Crawford’s in downtown Sioux Falls, knowing its intimate interior and creative cuisine would provide the perfect setting.

What he couldn’t have known is that two and a half years later, he would co-own the Phillips Avenue staple.

Along with Tyler Ode, his older brother.

And Christian Ode, his younger brother.

And Calvin Ode, his other younger brother.

And Lincoln Ode, his youngest brother.

But since this summer, the five Ode brothers of Brandon have owned Crawford’s, purchasing the restaurant from the original owners, David and Tonya Graham, who started it 10 years ago. Since taking over from the Grahams, the Odes’ philosophy has been simple: Put our stamp on it but “don’t train wreck something that’s working well.”

You won’t find the Ode brothers at Crawford’s front door, greeting the customers who come in for entrees like cherry-apple pork and strawberry scallops. When they are there during business hours, they are like anyone else in search of a fine meal or wanting to celebrate a special occasion—there to enjoy themselves. Instead, they’ve been making incremental changes such as updating the kitchen or finding a point-of-sale system that will work for patio orders in the restaurant’s off-hours.

“It’s been simple things, talking to the staff and learning the kitchen will be more efficient if we do this-and-this,” says Paul, the second-oldest brother. “If we’re here in service hours, we’re here to meet with friends. After hours, for example, Calvin is working on computer things, and Tyler is working on inventories and wine selections, behind-the-scenes things that nobody will see.”

Dan Myers started at Crawford’s under the Grahams and now is general manager. Because this is a family always looking to the future, Myers also is helping the Ode brothers with another business venture–a restaurant and bar in Brandon. The land already has been purchased for the mid-range chef-based-menu venture. The Odes also intend to open what might be called a “Crawford’s West” in Rapid City when the right site can be found.

Calvin was the first Ode to venture into the food industry. Along with friend Jason Albertson, he purchased the DD Saloon in Brandon. It is Calvin’s venture but, as the Ode brothers do, they all show up to help whenever needed.

They cheerfully describe the Double D as a “dive bar” but one that serves great pizza and wings, Calvin points out quickly. With the addition of Crawford’s to the family portfolio, friends tease them that they have moved from “trashy to classy.”

Diversifying is nothing new to the sons of Heidi Ode and the late Tom Ode. The Odes originally farmed about a mile and a half outside Brandon on Rice Street, but before Tom’s death he already had begun developing the farm and investing in commercial real estate. Christian hastened the process by studying construction management, graduating in December 2013 shortly after his father’s death. The first house was built that next spring with the initial storage building coming in the summer.

Christian was on his own for about three years with Lincoln working summers while he was in high school.

“Then everybody slowly came on a couple of years after that,” Christian says. Tyler and Paul kept their full-time jobs until 2017 and 2018, jumping in when the business could sustain more family members.

Operating as OdeCo, the brothers are involved in multiple ventures, but their main focus is construction, both light commercial and residential. Paul acts as president, Tyler CFO, Christian vice president of construction and Calvin vice president of business development. Lincoln, who will graduate from college in December, is project manager. OdeCo also has a division that offers home services and business repairs.

OdeCo projects in development include storage units and fourplexes in Brandon that they will own and manage. Its work extends across the state; frequent trips there make starting a restaurant in Rapid City a natural move, they say.

The Ode brothers range in age from Tyler at 36 to Lincoln who will be 24 in December. They are married except for Lincoln, whose status will change with a wedding in March 2022. Between the five families, they have half a dozen children with another on the way.

They know their father would be pleased how they have expanded his vision while maintaining the close relationships with which they were raised. Tom’s presence is felt as the brothers work with his old friends and suppliers.

The Ode brothers, who have one sister, Kathryn Eigenberg, try to keep family dynamics simple: “Try not to ruin anything. Just be respectful of each other is how we have to be,” Paul says.

“We try not to step on each other’s toes too much,” Calvin adds. “Individually we do our tasks, what our job calls for.”

They have a family connection with Crawford’s former owner, David Graham: Heidi Ode knows the Graham family and used to baby-sit David when he was a child. The Ode brothers have gone hunting with David several times.

In the weeks since the brothers purchased Crawford’s, they have learned they now operate two businesses that complement each other cyclically. Crawford’s benefits from downtown Sioux Falls’ strong foot traffic in the summer, they’ve discovered, while the DD Saloon is quieter in warm-weather months but picks up as people move indoors.

Crawford’s will always be a special “date night” spot, whether a couple is dining together for the first time or celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary, the brothers say. It’s a place for memorable moments to be recorded on social media.

“The whole purpose and idea is creating something that’s an Instagram photo,” Paul says. “We have the fun couch and the décor. The very first day after we bought it, we walked in and did a more thorough walk-through than we had before. It’s still fun here. It’s cool.”