Jodie Norton, general manager of the Boulder Tap House, says giving back to the community — as with quarterly donations to local charities — is a key part of the Moorhead establishment’s mission. (Photo/Nancy Hanson.)
Moorhead Business News
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
When you order a Surf and Turf Burger or a Raspberry Inferno Margarita at the Boulder Tap House, you’re not only satisfying your appetite. You’re doing good in the community.
“Giving back is a big part of our branding,” general manager Jodie Norton explains. “We love to be here. We have energy here in Moorhead.”
Starting in July, the restaurant and lounge – one of 11 scattered through Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin – began tabulating orders for seven of its most popular burgers and drinks. One dollar of the purchase price of each one consumed by its patrons was donated to The Lotus Center at the end of the quarter.
The Moorhead nonprofit provides counseling and support to individuals grappling with substance use disorders. The Tap House presented a check for $1,300 based on its customers’ orders for four burgers – Western, Garlic Aioli, Surf & Turf and California Cheese – and three beverages, including the Boulder Shandy, Burger Bloody and Raspberry Inferno Margarita.
Norton notes that the local Tap House staff chooses its quarterly charity. On tap (so to speak) for the last three months of 2023 is the Alzheimers Association.
Her establishment, she says, “is definitely a family restaurant,” with an extensive menu of wings, specialty burgers, sandwiches and appetizers. A broad selection of craft beers and cocktails are also available. “We make everything in-house,” the manager notes, “including all of our sauces and drink mixes.” That supports a favorite marketing tag: “We do everything bold at Boulder.”
Norton claims the “best wings in town” are served at her establishment, located in the southwest corner of 34th Street and Highway 10. “They’re the biggest in town, and we hand-bread them to order,” she says.
Customers who need to follow gluten-free diets gravitate to Boulder Tap House, she points out. “We’re the number-one gluten-free restaurant in Fargo-Moorhead, and at all our locations,” she explains. “Our owner’s son has celiac disease, so he has made that a priority. We have a huge variety of menu items. Almost everything can be ordered gluten-free.” The foods are prepared in a section of the kitchen separate from the regular line; crispy items are cooked in a gluten-free fryer.
Norton, a native of Utah, has worked at the restaurant since the former Grizzly’s was rebranded as Boulder Tap House seven years ago, the last two as its general manager. The Waite Park, Minnesota-based corporation that owns the restaurant has 52 in its portfolio, including those two brands plus Slim Chickens, Seven West, 310 Pub, and Northern Tap House establishments. It employs a total of about 40 servers and cooks.
One other aspect of Boulder’s work with the community, the manager adds, is its large meeting room for family and business events. They have hosted groups of up to 20, ranging from the Moorhead Business Association to groom’s dinners and corporate meetings – all at no charge for the space. The restaurant also offers a discount for Moorhead and Dilworth teachers, schedules college nights, and participated in the MBA bowling event last month that welcomed college students back to the community.
