Why is there never an empty table at District Table and Tap?
District Table and Tap is a family-friendly restaurant that is well known for its incredible food, drinks and staff in Norfolk, Nebraska. The owner and operator of District is Andrew McCarthy. Andrew has been a part of the service industry for more than 15 years. Throughout his career, Andrew was previously the general manager at Big Red Keno and Sports Bar.
“Opening this restaurant has been amazing.” McCarthy said. “Not only for my family but for the community. We bring in people of all backgrounds to come together and do something amazing.”
Once the historic Elkhorn Hotel, this 100-year-old building has been restored, bringing entertainment and dining back to Downtown. District was opened in 2019, right before COVID-19. Being able to pay close attention to detail, recapturing the original, beautiful brick walls makes District a special place. Adding in two large garage doors, thus opening the building to the patio areas right on Norfolk Avenue. Which provides more room and beautiful scenery.
McCarthy added “We want to contribute to our community by bringing life back to the heart of downtown and providing a fun and relaxing environment for everyone. Stop down to grab a drink, check out our menu and enjoy the excellent service that we provide.”
The first person you see when entering the establishment is the host. Most of the hosts are still in high school, so will see the full-time host, Ashley Popisil. Ashley Popisil has been hosting for six years but has been at District for four years.
“My job is to make sure people get seated.” Popisil said. “I also make sure I tell the servers which tables they go to. Making sure no one gets missed and having communication is key for my job.”
The host oversees the waitlist and the reservations. Having a reservation prepares the host and staff for the night. The host always sets up the tables almost 15-25 minutes ahead of the scheduled time. The host will always be the first person to see and that’s why it’s important to have a smile and give great service, regardless of rude customers.
“It’s always a good idea to keep rotation within your servers.” Said a part-time host, Samantha Montes. “We always try to do our best to make it fair and never overstress a server out. That’s our job to keep track and make sure everyone is where they need to be.”
After being seated, you will always be greeted by a server. Head Server and Assistant Manager, Jessica Fox is a well-known server at District. Jessica has been serving at District since the opening in 2019 but has been serving for 14-plus years.
“My most asked question is always “What do you have on tap?” Which can be a pain sometimes because we have 35 different types of beers on tap. Otherwise, I love my job, the customers are amazing, and the staff is incredible. There are so many people here who are now my forever family and I’m so grateful.”
As a fellow server, being a server means you represent District Table and Tap. So, it’s our job to make sure their experience is always amazing. That includes their drinks and even their food.
The server’s job is to make sure everything looks clean after a long night. Tables need to be put back into their correct spots. The floor needs to be swept and trash needs to be taken out. The servers need to stay on top of all condiments. Such as ketchup, mustard, sugars, and parmesan cheese. My favorite side work is cleaning the pitchers. Having pitchers is helpful when we get in a rush. It also gives a helping hand to our bartenders.
The bartenders make your drinks and pour the deliciously crafted beers. Head Bartender and Assistant Manager Shelby Ruppert is known for her incredible old fashions. Shelby has bartended for 12 years and has worked at District since 2019.
Shelby said, “My least favorite drink to make is The Painkiller. It’s the easiest drink to make but it’s just annoying. My most asked question is always how many beers we have on tap. We always have 35, but 29 of those are crafted beers. Most of them are brewed in Nebraska which is nice. Those other few are like Coors Light, Guinness and Kilkenny. Most of the time there will always be an IPA on tap or a cider.”
Bartenders are in charge of the garnishes and prepping mixes for the following bartender. Having things prepped makes it easier for a fast and efficient service. Some things they prep as mixes are the Bloody Mary mix, margarita mix, and even our infamous painkiller mix. The painkiller mix consists of orange juice, pineapple juice, coconut cream and dark rum.
Now everyone in the community is always asking, how do you make your food? The kitchen has around 3-5 employees on each shift, thus having two separate lines to cook. One line consists of pizzas, breadsticks and soups. The other line creates the quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps and wings. Kitchen Manager Raige Furnau has been working in the kitchen for two years.
“Kitchen always runs smoothly.” Said Furnau. “We are super busy most of the time, but we all have a good time. We play some music and just try and stay focused. My job is to make sure everyone shows up, do what they’re supposed to and keep the peace”
The kitchen makes a pizza of the month for every month of the year. This month’s pizza is taco pizza. This pizza consists of refried beans as its base. Followed by chicken or beef, Lettuce, Doritos and pico de galo. However, I’ve been told the best pizza is the crab ragon pizza. This pizza consists of cream cheese crab, sweet and sour sauce with crushed ragon on top of the flatbread. If you’re a fan of Crab Ragon’s stop by Distract during February.
The man who runs the entire restaurant is Brandon Kluender. Brandon previously worked with Andrew McCarthy at Big Red Sports Bar and Restaurant as the Head Manager. He has been at District for around four years. Fun fact, Brandon is the only man on staff, but head manager Brandon said, “It can be stressful, but if you know how to handle it, everything runs smoothly.”
“The environment is fun here. We all do our job, which is great, but we like to have a good time. We joke around with each other and sometimes the customers. The best part of the job is the customers. I always walk around and make sure they are doing alright, and if there’s anything I can do to make their experience more enjoyable,” said Kluender.
District Table and Tap is a great place overall. There is live music offered at the restaurant every weekend. We have bands such as Neon Lights, Beaguts and the infamous Astronots. Music goes from nine to midnight. At the end of the month, a comedian performs at the District Event Center. There is a bar to stay hydrated throughout the show and not to mention the restaurant is open after shows for a quick snack. At the event center, there are themed parties, comedy shows, bands and more. Be sure to come down to District Table and Tap to try out its incredible service, tasty food and drinks.
