Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Kuelzer.
Shortly after Harvard’s Pi Eta Club moved out of 89 Winthrop Street in the 1960’s, Sue and Herbert Kuelzer took notice of the building as an attractive location for the restaurant they were planning to open in Harvard Square. Their vision for space was a full-service restaurant serving “casual gourmet” food at reasonable prices.
They came up with the name Grendel’s Den, which suited the cave-like dining room and allowed Sue to make good use of her BA in English Literature. In 1974, Grendel’s expanded, taking over the main floor of the building. This was the home of the famous “Grendel’s Salad Bar,” two fireplaces, and a sunny, plant-filled evolution, which sprang from Grendel’s basement origins.
Around this time, the Kuelzers launched a legal battle challenging a Massachusetts State law allowing churches to veto liquor licenses. With the help of Harvard Law School’s Laurence Tribe, the case went all the way to the United States Supreme court, which ruled the law was unconstitutional. The historic legal precedent* changed similar laws in nine states and enabled Grendel’s Bar to open downstairs in 1983. The bar quickly became known as a spot to sample newly popular micro-brewed beer from local breweries such as Sam Adams and Cambridge Brewing Company.
State restrictions on Happy Hours banned discounting libations (a.k.a. cheap booze), so instead, Grendel’s offered discounted food if you bought a drink! While other bars drew customers with events, TV’s, or live music, Grendel’s Bar remained a cozy spot to gather in good company and chat without distraction. The popularity of Grendel’s bar scene and the happy, noisy din customers create on a nightly basis has continued over the past forty years.
After an overhaul of the entire block of Winthrop to Eliot to Mount Auburn Street in 1999, Grendel’s Den Restaurant & Bar re-opened in the basement only. Herbert & Sue’s daughter Kari assumed management of the restaurant in 2004 following the extremely sad and premature death of Sue from breast cancer. In its second generation of family ownership, Grendel’s is an always-busy neighborhood institution that caters to Harvard Square’s students, academics, tourists and residents from late morning to late night.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Aside from the very interesting story of our SCOTUS battle for the ability to serve alcohol, this is a family business that was started by a married couple with two children who divorced about 5 or 6 years after opening the business. Despite the marital differences, the Kuelzers remained business partners and ran a popular restaurant together for the next 25 years.
Kari’s mom Sue raised the kids and was in charge of the daily operation of the restaurant, and was very much the community face of Grendel’s during this time. At the time of Sue’s death, Kari had just had her own child and was living in Los Angeles with her husband. Moving back and transitioning into running the business was difficult particularly because Kari was very much on her own, both as a new mom and as a restaurant operator, without having her mother’s experience to help guide her.
A business consultant helped Kari and Herbie develop a plan to bring Kari up to speed and better envision and articulate the Grendel’s brand identity and goals. It was an enormous amount of work that was both intellectually and emotionally challenging! Still, not a day goes by that Kari can’t hear her mom’s cheerful, friendly voice reminding her to look on the bright side!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Grendel’s Den Restaurant & Bar – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Grendel’s is known for it’s eclectic and value-priced menu. Our specialty is specialties. Very much a product of the University culture in the area, Grendel’s appeals to the international and intellectual community in the area by providing a European style ambiance that is affordable and welcoming and lends itself to lively conversation. We have no TV’s, which is a rarity in bars an restaurants, and this allows guests to interact with less distraction.
We have no fried food, which makes our menu inventive and healthful, while still appealing to a wide variety of tastes and cravings! Even as a place known as “old school” Cambridge and a Harvard Square “Institution”, Grendel’s remains a trendsetter even after 46 years.
We are still bringing new dishes, micro-brews, cocktails into popularity: One of the first places to serve middle eastern food on a mainstream menu in the 60’s and 70’s, pioneering the salad bar in the late 70’s and 80’s, bringing the first wave of micro-brews to the bar in the late 80’s and early 90’s (first place to serve Cambridge Brewing Company and one of the first to carry Samuel Adams), trailblazing the service of serving alcohol on patios in Cambridge, popularizing Goslings Dark n’ Stormy in the early 2000’s, and continuing to bring innovative dishes, and new brews to our customers year after year.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are hoping to renew our lease and continue doing what we do!
Pricing:
- Average menu price $8-10
- All food is 1/2 price with a $4 bev purchase from 5 pm – 7:30 pm nightly
- Express Lunch Mon – Fri only $5.95
Contact Info:
- Address: 89 Winthrop Street Cambridge, MA 02138
- Website: www.grendelsden.com
- Phone: 6174911160
- Email: sayhi@grendelsden.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/Grendels_Den
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/grendelsden
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/Grendels_Den
- Other: https://www.toasttab.com/grendels-den-restaurant-bar
Image Credit:
Seacia Pavao, Daniel Zapata
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