Small Business Spotlight: The Rabbit Hole

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

A Discussion with Co-owner Joe Berg

Are you looking for a local high-energy sports bar with a fabulous comfort food menu, great cocktails and fun weekend entertainment? Look no further than the North Loop’s great new addition, The Rabbit Hole at 411 N Washington Avenue. There’s much to love about our new local hangout – 42 big screen TVs, bingo with a DJ, so many fun beverages, delicious food and a management team that’s committed to the area and to the success of their concept. I spoke to co-owner Joe Berg about the vision for The Rabbit Hole and all the fun, delicious and amazing things happening there. I personally can’t wait for warmer weather to visit the multi-tiered patio. 

Q:  How did you and your partners come to open The Rabbit Hole?

A:  All of the partners involved in The Rabbit Hole (me, Thomas Pivec, Jay Ellinger, Craig Dauffenbach and Deepak Nath) have a long history in the hospitality industry of Minneapolis and most are lifelong residents of the area as well - so we all have a vested interest in the success of the North Loop neighborhood. As a group, we are always on the lookout for opportunities to continue to improve our neighborhood. The Rabbit Hole was conceived over a glass of wine (which most of us don’t really drink, ha!) with the previous owner of the space, Axe Bridge Winery. The Axe Bridge ownership group presented us with an opportunity to allow them to focus on growing their winery in the western suburbs and allowed us to expand our hospitality footprint. It was truly a win-win situation!

Left to right - Joe Berg, Jay Ellinger, Deepak Nath and Thomas Pivec

Q:  Can you elaborate on the decision to combine a sports bar atmosphere with elevated dining and entertainment?

A:  When deciding what concept to open within the space, it was the culmination of all of our experiences in travel, operating other hospitality brands, and creating a space that encompasses everything we all would have wanted in a sports bar, restaurant, and entertainment venue. Creating an environment that was welcoming to anyone who entered led our direction and choices. From the wine drinker, the foodie, the avid sports viewer, and many more, we wanted this to feel like an extension of the neighborhood and our experiences

Q:  The Rabbit Hole features unique design elements like custom rabbit-themed wallpaper and indoor turf and wonderfully comfortable seating areas. What was the inspiration behind these choices?

A:  The short answer to this question is experience. Between myself and my partners, we possess over a century of experience in the hospitality industry. Of course, we can't forget about our amazing architect and designer who weighed in heavily on what we did. The Rabbit Hole was designed by EK Interiors, with architecture by Little Box, Inc. - we couldn’t be happier with the communal spaces and loungey booths, and room for up to 700 guests. There is also a multi-tiered patio, which will be an extension of the interior in many ways.

411 Smash Burger

Q:  Chef Thomas Pivec has crafted a menu that elevates traditional bar food. What are some standout dishes guests can look forward to?

A:  Some of the dishes that Chef Thomas created that have been the fan favorites so far are our 411 Smash Burger, Smoked Chicken Wings, The BIG Stick (this is a 10-inch-long mozzarella stick) and our Bucket O' Chicken, to name a few. When your readers visit, there may be even more fan favorites we can point out.  

Q:  The cocktail menu includes hidden options accessible via QR codes. What inspired this interactive approach to beverage service?

A:  This was just a fun and creative (and modern) way to showcase the creativity of our mixology team and allow the customers to have some fun exploring the space for the hidden QR codes to join us in the experience!  

Q:  Beyond sports viewing, what types of live entertainment and events can patrons expect at The Rabbit Hole? Here’s my wish list: bingo, DJs, live bands, drag shows!

A:  We currently have live music scheduled every Friday and Saturday night. That live music may be either a cover band or one of our four resident DJ's. We have a pull-tab booth and e-tabs operated by our chosen non-profit, Firefighters for Healing. On Tuesday nights, we also host a fun Trivia Night beginning at 7:30pm and Saturday afternoons we have our popular weekly “Party Bingo” with our DJ’s starting at noon. We are planning to layer in other activations as we grow more comfortable with our operations.

Q:  How do you plan to engage with the North Loop and Mill District communities and make The Rabbit Hole a neighborhood staple?

A:  It was important that we invested in understanding what would mesh well with the neighborhood and how we could create a place where the community could gather, as community building was a pillar for us in all aspects of our design and operations. We will also continue to listen to the community to build out experiences that bring value to the neighborhood.

Q:  Opening a venue of this scale involves various challenges. What were some significant hurdles you faced, and how did you overcome them?

A:  Some of our biggest challenges were opening a business that offered live entertainment until 2am in a residential area. Being that we all live in or close to the North Loop it was important to us to be good neighbors and bring something to the area that would bring value and not a nuisance. We worked with the City of Minneapolis, our local City Council members and the North Loop Planning and Zoning Committee to ensure we would be a place local residents would be proud to have in their neighborhood. 

Q:  Thank you so much for being a good neighbor! With operating hours extending until 2am, how do you ensure a consistent and high-quality experience for guests throughout the day and night?

A:  Operating from 11am-2am is always a challenge no matter what business you're in. That's lots of staff and lots of customers coming through the doors on any given day. We trust our amazing staff and leadership team to ensure we always provide the best service and experience. At the end of the day, you can't operate a business without a great staff and strong support from the community. Thankfully, we've had both thus far.

Q:  How may we stay current on your news and events? 

A:  For our most up-to-date news and happenings, please visit our website therabbitholemn.com, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok (@rabbitholempls)!