Keeping the grill hot at Village Green

Village Green Bar and Grill in Middleton never opens without a Boyer family member present.

It's a standard set by the Boyers who say customers expect it and sets them apart from other restaurants.

It's also a luxury of having four family members involved.

The business at 7508 Hubbard Ave. was started by Ron Boyer. His wife, Cricket, started waitressing part time after the couple's youngest child entered kindergarten.

When the Boyers' four children were eight or 10, they started clearing tables and as they got older, they moved on to cooking.

"It was a typical family deal," Ron Boyer said. "The family did what needed to be done and you hired enough people to take care of the rest of it."

Today, sons Craig and Chad are still working at Village Green after dabbling in other career possibilities. Although Chad generally takes care of personnel duties, the brothers' knowledge and skills are so similar they are interchangeable and work opposite shifts.

New life for bowling alley

Ron Boyer was getting out of the Kelly's Hamburgers restaurant business in Madison when he learned Village Green was for sale. Built as a bowling alley, the deep building stretched between Hubbard and Elmwood avenues. The lanes were no longer being used so it operated as a bar and pool hall.

The business was purchased in 1976 and when he could afford it, Ron put in a grill behind the bar. He wanted to create a neighborhood burger joint where the bartender also flips the burgers.

Later, deep fryers were installed and that led to fish frys.

Five years after Ron purchased Village Green he put a floor over the bowling alley to create a large dining room. The bar and grill can now seat 200.

'Refusal to change'

While Ron has put up exterior wood siding painted green, the interior of the building hasn't changed much for years. The walls are covered with paneling and holes in a back store room are evidence of the times when bowling pins flew up.

"A big part of our success is our refusal to change," Chad said.

All of the Boyer children graduated from East High School and then took different career paths. Ronda, now 40, lives in Cottage Grove and is currently working as a substitute teacher. David, now 38, found his niche in catering and serving large banquets. He owns the City Limits restaurant in Lodi, which is more of a banquet facility.

Chad, 39, got a degree in commercial art but didn't like the direction the field was heading so he turned to the family business.

Craig, 36, got a degree in criminal justice and social science and considered a job in law enforcement. But when jobs weren't opening up to him here, he decided to work at the Village Green, which would allow him to stay in this area.

"This job has some flexibility," said Craig, who has two children -- Owen, 7, and Avery, 4 -- with his wife, Amy.

Family loyalty important

The Boyers said another benefit of the family business is loyalty.

"You can't call in sick when your mother's watching," said Cricket Boyer, 62.

Cricket, who still waitresses a few hours four days a week and fills in when needed, said she hasn't minded not having much say in the company. She considers her home her domain.

"There were enough guys. They didn't need my help," she said.

She was part of the group of workers on the Sunday shift that decided one day that Village Green shouldn't be open on Sundays anymore.

Ron Boyer kept business separate from home when the kids were growing up.

"That was a rule -- just leave business at work," he said. "Nothing that has to do with Village Green is in my house."

Chad said the family still tries to keep business and personal lives fairly separate. He takes some work home but when he gets together with his brother socially, they don't talk business.

Ron, who has held leadership positions on the Middleton Chamber of Commerce and donates to community causes, said having all of his children work at the business made his responsibilities much easier. When his two sons stayed on, it meant he could put his trust in them completely.

Ron, 66, believes he would have sold out 10 years ago without his family in the business.

Succession planning underway

In the last year or so, the family has begun succession planning with the help of an attorney and the sons are taking more control.

"I made all of the decisions," Ron said. "Now they want to make all of the decisions."

He said the process of letting go of his baby isn't easy. "It's hard for them and it's hard for me," he said.

Ron continues to count the cash and do paperwork but he leaves the restaurant when the lunch hour starts. The younger Boyers are becoming more hands on.

"It's kind of shifting around a little bit. That's probably now where the challenge has come," Chad said. "This whole process has been a giant, revolutionary, evolving ball."

Pamela Cotant is a freelance writer.