Keeping It Simple Sustains the Red Room

The Red Room. Photo by Mike Bacsi.

Classic Sturgeon Bay tavern turns 75

When a three generation, family-owned business celebrates its 75th year, you might expect a lot of hoopla, something splashy, maybe a barrage of social media posts, a well-publicized anniversary event. 

But that just wouldn’t be The Red Room. 

The beloved Sturgeon Bay tavern, officially named Hoffman’s Red Room Bar, has stacked decades of success on a foundation of keeping things simple and letting word-of-mouth sustain the business. 

As the March 17 anniversary date approached, co-owners and brothers Nick and Joe Hoffman realized it would fall on a Sunday, which is a day the bar is normally closed. Relying on regulars to spread the word, a low-key party was planned. Nothing too fancy – typical Red-Room style – and without requiring employees to work on their day off. 

“We’ll just do it ourselves,” Nick said he and his brother decided. “We’ll have some raffle prizes, put out some food and pour 75-cent tap beers.”

Before the party, their beer distributor noticed flyers in the bar with the 1980’s-era beer pricing, and said, “You guys are gonna lose your ass.” Remembering this with a smile, Nick recalled his reply: “I can lose it for one day.”

Nick and Joe represent the third generation of Hoffman family ownership. In 1949, their grandparents moved an existing bar business to the current Red Room location at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Nebraska Street. The family inherited the name of the bar from a previous owner. The brothers have followed the path established by their father, Harley Hoffman, who ran the show for decades before retiring some time ago. 

Harley gets credit for the popularity of the cheeseburger at The Red Room. Like the bar itself, the burger is a straight-forward classic – forget about optional additions like avocado, sprouts or aged gouda cheese. In the early years, Harley’s dedication to using freshly ground beef necessitated a daily trip to Marchant’s Meats in Brussels. These days, the bar takes delivery of 40 to 50 pounds of ground beef daily. 

Asked about the rare feat of sustaining a business for 75 years, Nick said, “One of dad’s philosophies was, ‘If it wasn’t for the people, you wouldn’t be here in the first place.’ And that’s why we keep it affordable. I mean, you get a burger and a beer here for less than 10 bucks.” 

The brothers are hopeful that the next generation will keep the bar rolling along. Joe’s 21-year old son is bartending nights and his 5-year old son visits frequently, chatting with customers and pretending to pour beers. 

“We’d like to see it go another 75 years” Nick said, adding “keep it simple – it’s working.”