Photo — The Tap Room
2016 – 2021
The Tap Room
North Dakota's Only 100% Craft Beer Bar · Minot, ND
KFYR-TVCicerone.orgKX News
Founded in 2014 by Oregonians Erin and Corey Hash in the basement of the 1910s Kemper Block building — barn wood pulled from the Yabo Gjellstad property in rural Velva, ND adorning the walls. When the founders left for Oregon in 2016, they chose Jon to carry the torch — a patron since opening day. "Analog social networking for the modern age." Three years of Cicerone study, one eight-hour drive to Minneapolis for the exam, and a credential that made the business plan fundable. The Tap Room became the launchpad for everything that followed.
↳ ND's only 100% craft beer establishment · First Certified Cicerone® in North Dakota · Featured on KFYR-TV at acquisition
"He's one of only two Certified Cicerones in North Dakota, and the first one ever in the state." — KFYR-TV, 2016
Food Network
Photo — Saul's Speakeasy
2018 – 2022
Saul's Speakeasy
Hidden Prohibition-Era Speakeasy · Minot, ND
Food Network MagazineFood Network .comKFYR-TVKX NewsKMOTOnly In Your State
Built in the basement beneath The Tap Room from reclaimed lumber and corrugated steel salvaged from Magic City Lumber. Named for Saul Shark — the respected clothier whose men's store occupied the main floor from the 1940s through the 1970s, and whose spirit reportedly never left. To get in: text a number, receive a riddle, solve it, find the entrance, speak the answer into a microphone. Jon handled his own media outreach — three local TV stations picked it up and Saul's landed on Food Network's 50 Most Haunted Restaurants in America in year one, open only three days a week. Jon left a drink out for Saul every night. Some mornings, some of it was gone.
↳ Food Network — #1 Most Haunted Restaurant in North Dakota · Food Network Magazine feature · 3 TV outlets
"Ending up on a nationally published list after only one year of being open 3 days a week is amazing." — Jon's press release, 2019
Top 3 Nationally
Photo — Dad's Bar
2021 – 2022
Dad's Bar
Dad-Themed Bar & Hardware Store · Minot, ND
Bar Biz MagazineMinot Daily NewsKX News
The Tap Room needed a rebrand. Jon and his team ripped everything out, rebuilt it as Dad's in one week, and launched on a local Builders Association pub crawl night. The concept: a dad's garage or basement, upper Midwestern style — lawn chairs, card tables, a working garage door, fuzzy dice, mounted jackalope, and a garage fridge full of cans. Tools on the walls, all for sale. Jon met a Milwaukee Tool sales rep at a bar, bought him a drink, told him the story — that conversation became an informal brand partnership with Milwaukee Tool through AcmeTools. Jon's dad Randy hung his oil paintings on the walls and became a regular. "We just became a living embodiment of the brand."
↳ Bar & Restaurant Expo Industry Excellence Awards — Top 3 Finalist, Most Original Concept (competing against large hospitality groups from Dallas & Cincinnati) · Bar Biz Magazine national feature · Informal Milwaukee Tool brand partnership originated from a single bar conversation
"We have broken the mold in our town for what we do. Nobody else is doing it differently. So we decided to do it differently." — Bar Biz Magazine, 2022
Photo — Fun on a Bun / Willy & Earl
2018 – 2022
Fun on a Bun
Minot's Original Hot Dog Stand · Mobile · Event Vendor
Local TV Business BeatKX NewsNational Award Nomination
Born at a local event in summer 2017, built through a North Dakota winter, launched in spring 2018. The mission: bring big city street food energy to small town America using locally sourced Cloverdale products from Mandan, ND. Willy — the first cart — was custom-built to Jon's spec by a manufacturer in Tennessee, graphics by Sign D'Zyn of Minot. Earl arrived in September 2020: an authentic NYC street cart rescued by Jon and Karl the van from Wafels & Dinges in New York City during peak COVID. Earl came back to Minot via a cross-country road trip. $2K in Year 1. Fun on a Bun was also stationed outside Saul's on nice nights — and word was, if you were friendly to the hot dog guy, he might slip you the password.
↳ $2K Year 1 → $70K–$80K annual · 60+ customers/day within first month · National award nomination · Covered at launch by local TV
"It's like Minot could use one of these. If not anybody else, then might as well be me." — Business Beat, 2018
Photo — Miracle on 10th
2022
Miracle on 10th
Licensed Holiday Pop-Up Bar · First in North Dakota · Dakota Square Mall, Minot
Minot Daily News
Identified, licensed, and produced the Miracle bar concept in North Dakota for the first time — taking over the former Grizzly's location at Dakota Square Mall, 6,500 square feet decorated in three weeks of around-the-clock work. Miracle originated in NYC in 2014 and had grown to ~150 global locations at the time. Bespoke holiday cocktails, handcrafted spirits, hand-ground spices. Charity partnerships built into the operating model from day one — Ugly Christmas Sweater Party benefiting Prairie Grit, 10% of mug sales to the Seva Foundation.
↳ First licensed Miracle location in North Dakota · 6,500 sq ft activation · Decorated in 3 weeks · Charity partnerships from opening day
Director of Cheer
Photo — Miracle on First
2025
Miracle on First
Licensed Holiday Pop-Up Bar · 200+ Global Locations · Minot, ND
KX News
The second-act return of the Miracle concept to Minot — this time solo, on First Street, with the global brand now at 200+ locations worldwide. Jon served as Director of Cheer. Three years between iterations: the first proved the market, the second scaled it. Charity partnership with Companions for Children built into the program.
↳ 200+ global Miracle locations · KX News feature coverage · Solo-produced second Minot iteration
Photo — 10 North Main
2020 – 2021 · Consulting
10 North Main
Beverage & Menu Consulting + Cross-Brand Partnership · Minot, ND
Brought in to consult on beverage and menu program for Minot's premier fine dining destination — prime steaks, fresh seafood, and a reputation as the best restaurant for miles. Created Saul's 10 to Go — Saul's handcrafted cocktails paired with 10 North Main's food, delivered during COVID when dine-in wasn't possible. Two of Minot's most distinctive brands, combined into a single to-go product at the exact moment both needed a lifeline.
↳ Cross-brand product innovation during COVID · Origin of the Miracle on 10th partnership · Saul's 10 to Go delivery concept
Photo — Bones BBQ
Consulting
Bones BBQ
Operations & Brand Consulting · Minot, ND
Brought in as an outside operator to apply the systems, brand standards, and guest experience frameworks built across a decade of concept ownership. Consulting work covered operations, service standards, and brand identity — translating ten years of building distinct concepts into an actionable framework for another brand.
↳ External consulting engagement