This segment originally aired on In the Moment on SDPB Radio.
The owner of JoDean’s Steakhouse and Lounge, Jack Nielson, has closed his kitchen for good. New owners take over the Yankton property next month, leaving the employees and customers to feed off their memories.
JoDean’s opened more than a century ago when Nielson started the business alongside his late parents, John and Deanie.
“You know, good memories, bad memories. It’s more of like a marriage. You know 51 years; you have lots of things to think about. Lots of things to remember,” said Nielson.
Closing the doors means that Nielson will be slowing down. He says that that will provide opportunities to travel, volunteer, or become an employee instead of an employer. His last days as a business owner have been marked with many goodbyes.
On the final day of operation, Nielson took a picture with a customer who brought her mother all the way from Nebraska for a final JoDean’s lunch. At another table was a couple who came to dine one last time at the restaurant they ate at on every anniversary.
“I feel so honored , that my customers have let us do the cooking for them, for all these years. I just feel very, very honored,” said Nielson.
JoDean's customers were not the only people saying goodbye to the popular restaurant. Many employees are now grappling with the start of a new adventure.
Vicki Swenson worked at JoDean’s for more than two decades. She plans to retire now, but reflects on what the restaurant has meant to her family.
“You know my two children worked here when they were teenagers and then my son has three children and all three of them worked here, you know when they became fourteen,” said Swenson. “And the one granddaughter still works here as a cashier once and a while whenever she’s needed, even though she has a full-time job now. They are all young adults now. So, it’s been a family affair.”
However for some employees the future is a challenge. Cindy Welch worked at JoDean’s for 46 of its 51 years in business. Many of her dearest memories were set within the walls of JoDean’s.
She fell in love with her husband when they both worked in the kitchen. Then she became a mother and the restaurant manager. Welch worked with her children and watched JoDean's regulars and employees grow up. Now, Welch needs to consider a new life path.
“ I mean to go out into this new world. It’s so different compared to when I first applied for a job here,” said Welch, “It’s like, 'are you hiring?' Jack would put a paper down and goes 'yes. give me your name and phone number.' Now you gotta fill it out completely and all that sort of stuff. It’s like I probably don’t even know how to fill out a job app. So that’s just the scary part of it.”
Welch said the exciting part is the time she will have to spend with family.
Jack Nielson said he's unclear what the new owners plan to do with the property. He has speculated redevelopment is possible. The ownership transition is official on July 1. Until then, Nielson and his employees are emptying out the building.
Neilson has partnered with Girard Auctions out of Wakonda. Together they are putting everything from JoDean’s kitchen equipment to wall decorations up for sale. The two-day auction will take place on June 19 and 20.
