Minding My Business: Ernie's Rings in One Month of the American Dream

John Pleschourt and Bryan Prettyman routinely work more than 12 hours each day and have taken a substantial cut in pay. They couldn't be happier. 

After decades of toil in the industry, the business partners have opened up their own restaurant, Ernie's Pub & Grille.

"My feet hurt, my legs hurt, I have burns everywhere from helping out in the kitchen," Pleschourt said. "But when it comes right down to it, this is our baby."

Ernie's, which opened Oct. 24, has been a long time coming. Pleschourt's career began as a teenager at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Since then, he has been a waiter, a certified meat cutter and the food and beverage director of the largest hotel in southwest Minnesota. Prettyman has had long careers in the hospitality and gaming industry. This is their first foray into ownership.

"I've always wanted to own my own restaurant and Bryan has always wanted to own his own bar," Pleschourt said. "We wanted to set our own destiny."

Prettyman said the pub already has a growing number of regulars.

"That's the biggest reward," Prettyman said. "I'm loving every minute of this."

Initially, they were looking at restaurant properties in Florida and Arizona, but Prettyman and Pleschourt, both Burnsville residents, spotted a perfect site just off Interstate 35—Chateau Lamothe, an upscale restaurant that went out of business in December 2010. 

"We thought it had great potential to be exactly what we were after—something we could make more homey, more comfortable," Pleschourt said. 

A little over a month after signing a lease for the property, the restaurant was open. 

Every aspect of Ernie's is personal for Pleschourt and Prettyman, from the name to the smallest decorative detail. The two created the menu and the bar selection from start to finish — including 99 signature margaritas. The result is both quirky and familiar, exactly as Pleschourt intended: Patrons at Ernie's can play it safe with "food for Lutherans" like biscuits and gravy or veer off the beaten path and try Pleschourt's originals such as crème brûlée French toast or a bacon brownie sundae.

As a final gesture, Pleschourt and Prettyman named the pub after Pleschourt's father, Ernie, a retired sheet metal fabricator from Northfield.

"My dad is an incredible man who has a work ethic like nobody's business, treats everyone like a friend, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt," Pleschourt said. "We're hoping to instill in our staff those same values, treating every guest as their neighbor and friend." 

The restaurant has become a second home to its namesake. Ernie Pleschourt starts looking for the familiar sign every time he passes Buck Hill.

"It's like you think you're dying and all of a sudden someone shoots blood to you," the father said of learning the restaurant's name.

"There were tears. I hope it has the best luck," said Carol Pleschourt, John's mother. "It was something they've always wanted."