It’s been a crazy three months for the Holtz family of Becker. So much so that they created a Hideout.

 

Joe and Tama Holtz were riding high with two successful restaurants — one in Albertville and one in Princeton — when a friend of Joes’ asked Joe about the “old Chico’s building.”

 

“He told me I should take a look at the old abandoned building so I did,” said Joe. “so I checked with the bank and things just went from there.”

 

The old Chico’s building was a Mexican Restaurant at the intersection of Hwy. 10 and Co. Rd. 11 — next to Element Arms. The restaurant had a few successful years and was owned by Alan Gilyard before it became a bank-owned property. Joe saw an opportunity and couldn’t pass it up.

 

“It’s been challenging,” he said of his new venture. “But opening a new business always is. The building was in great shape and the size is just perfect.”

 

The entire building consists of 9,200 square feet with 5,000 SF available for dining. The Holtzes refurbished the carpet, bought new tables, booths and chairs and installed custom decor. Joe also installed a brand new system featuring 18 draft beers and also installed recently-purchased kitchen cooking equipment that will allow for two lines of cooking to occur at the same time, if need be.

 

“That kitchen is the Holy Grail of kitchens,” Joe said. “I think it’s the best in the state.”

 

Manning the grills is Joe’s best cook, Britton, who has also been tasked to teach other cooks Joe hires to perfect their craft and keep the quality consistent between the three restaurants.

 

Neighbor’s Eatery & Saloon in Albertville was Joe’s first venture into restaurant owning where he and his friend partnered to open the joint in 2010. In 2013, the guys started another bar/restaurant in Princeton called Neighbors on the Rum. For two-to-three years, the two friends kept the businesses afloat and by the time the Princeton establishment opened, Joe bought out his partner and partnered up with his wife.

 

In November, the Holtzes bought Chico’s and converted it to the Hideout Bar & Grille. Joe said the place was packed for the first month or so with people having to wait in line to get a seat.

 

“That was all with no advertising and no sign on the building,” said Joe. “That just shows you the people up here are anxious for a great place to eat.”

 

Joe and his wife have since hired nearly 30 employees to help host, run food, cook bartend, serve and wash dishes.

 

“The foods we serve between the three restaurants are pretty similar,” Joe said. “In Becker here, we have a few added things like some home-made pasta dishes, broasted chicken and we’ll be featuring Prime Rib on Friday and Saturday nights.”

 

The Hideout menu also features ribs, steak, seafood, pork, chicken marinara, chicken lo mein, fish and chips, chicken tenders, buffalo wings, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, flat breads, salads and appetizers. They also serve breakfast every day starting at 9 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and 11 a.m. during the rest of the week. Breakfasts feature eggs, pancakes, french toast, steak and eggs, country-fried steak, biscuits and gravy, omelettes and skillet meals.

 

“We make everything from scratch and all of our food is home-made,” said Joe. “We are not heat-n-serve. We make everything here fresh and we don’t buy cheap ingredients. I care enough to put out the best products we can.”

 

Joe also brags about his cook’s great soups and chilis and is excited because he now has a large pizza oven and will be introducing fresh pizzas to the menu in the next few months.

 

The main restaurant and bar area is huge and the massive windows along three sides of the building give the dining room plenty of light. The music playing throughout the eatery is loud enough to hear, yet not so loud you can’t have a normal conversation with the person across the table from you.

 

Along the walls, the decor is “cabin-look” with a half-log wall system that gives the place that “up north” feel. To the south of the building there is a 50-seat private back room for parties that features a huge fireplace. Joe bought 22 smart TVs for the restaurant and bar and the place has DirecTV satellite.

 

“Since the TVs are smart TVs, people can come here and have a company meeting and hook up their presentations right to the TV of their choice,” said Joe.

 

The bathrooms are posh and clean and boast lots of room and privacy in both the women’s and the men’s rooms.

 

A large U-shaped bar is the centerpiece of the edifice and beer isn’t the only thing the bartenders serve. A Plethora of bottles of spirits and mixes encircle the watering hole and the high-top bar stools give patrons plenty of room to get in and out of their comfortable stalls.

 

The bar area promotes  a pulltab booth, an electronic dartboard game, video games, a pool table, shuffleboard, and an  electronic jukebox. On Saturday’s the Hideout holds Bingo and on Wednesday’s they hold a meat raffle.

 

Even though the first few months of running their new business, the Holtzes are excited for the future.

 

“In the spring, we are going to open up the patio area and have BBQs and games and people will be able to lounge around by the big firepit,” Joe said. “We also plan to bring in live music on Saturday nights starting in March. I’m really happy so far with this place and the reception we’ve received.”

 

Jow and Tama have four children including Melissa (25), Chris (23), Heather (18) and Hailey (11). Chris is Joe and Tama’s manager at the Albertville restaurant and Tama is the bookkeeper for all three restaurants and also holds a fulltime job. The Holtzes hope one day to have even more family join them in their new venture of  entrepreneurship in Becker and Big Lake.

 

Joe is working on getting a brand-new electronic sign for the road along Hwy. 10 and a sign or two for the building in the next few months.

 

“We are all-in for this operation and we work on one important formula — provide good food and great service and people will keep coming back.”

 

The Holtzes have lived in Becker for 16 years. For more information on the Hideout Bar & Grille, go to their website at: www.hideoutbarandgrille.com or call them at 763-262-5500. The restaurant is located at 16496 149th St., SE.

 

Their hours are: Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m. to midnight; Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to midnight.