FEATURE
By Mark Miller
F
or nearly four generations, The Nook Restaurant and Ran-Ham Bowling Center had been St. Paul, MN, neighbors, separated by a brick wall, a stairwell and different owners. While the stairwell remains, the wall is gone and the same people own both establishments. Under young entrepreneurs, Ted Casper and Mike Runyon, The Nook has become a nationally-recognized burger joint, while Ran-Ham has returned to its glory days. Though it took nine years during the 2000s to make it happen, they’ve created an entertainment experience unlike any other. “The Nook was in need of more space for the dining area. That was our number one objective, to have more space for
16
IBI
September 2017
our diners,” said 37-year-old owner Casper. “People would come in every day and say, ‘You guys should put these two places together.’ Everybody always believed the two places should be together, and it kind of worked out for everybody. We’re able to provide more space for our diners.” Casper and Runyon attended Cretin-Darham Hall High School, a private, Catholic institution across the street from their businesses. As kids they ate at The Nook and bowled at RanHam. When college turned out not to be their thing, the childhood friends looked elsewhere. Since Casper’s father and grandfather were both restaurateurs, he figured he’d follow them into the family business and brought Runyon with him.