Opening a restaurant in the land of the Cornhuskers was a dream long in the making for Bob Ihrig. He details the experience, as well as their early days, in a new book released by Dog Ear Publishing. The unflinching memoir includes the restaurant's ultimate demise, a lesson of failure he and his wife would never forget.
"Million Dollar Party: A Restaurant Memoir" tells the story of two small-town Nebraska residents, one a coach's son and the other a farmer's daughter. In 2003, years after they were married, they decided to take a chance and follow their dream: to open a restaurant in Lincoln, home of the Cornhuskers. The restaurant would be both a place to serve food as well as show off Bob's collection of Cornhusker football memorabilia. He was proud of the rare game tickets, cheerleader uniforms, autographed pieces and player jerseys.
Although sales on opening day were more than $23,000 at Bob's Gridiron Grille and the Pigskin Pub, they would never reach that height again. Just a few years before, they had some $2 million in assets, but it was all lost. Rookie restaurant mistakes, a smoking ban that required changes, and multiple attempts at revamping the menu, adding live music and other measures can't stop the inevitable.
Although the memoir could be seen as a cautionary tale, the couple doesn't regret taking a chance. As they write in the introduction, "Follow your passions, and don't be afraid to try. When you fall, get back up, and learn from every experience. Nobody said life is fair, and it isn't. Still, be all you can be, and enjoy your ticket to ride."
Bob and Susan, who have been married for 46 years, met when they were in marching band in college. Bob served as a pastor, store manager, memorabilia dealer and restaurant manager before launching their plan of a lifetime in 2003 – a bar and restaurant in Lincoln, Neb., the heart of Huskerland. They now live in Colorado.
For additional information, please visit www.milliondollarpartybook.com
Million Dollar Party
Robert Mark Ihrig and Susan Jean Butherus Ihrig
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-5705-7 322 pages $17.95 US Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4575-6154-2 322 pages $34.95 US Hardcover (DJ)
ISBN: 978-1-4575-6159-7 $9.99 US eBook
Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.
Dog Ear Publishing partners with authors to shape content that resonates with readers as diverse as the books we publish. Our mission is to leverage expertise, technology and relationships to form a meaningful and lasting bond between creators, content and culture as a whole. Dog Ear Publishing is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and can be contacted by phone at (317) 228-3656 or through our website, www.dogearpublishing.net.
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