BEAN BLOSSOM — When Brownie’s Family Restaurant closed two years ago, the community mourned the loss of the gathering place, then the loss of its beloved owner, Ed “Brownie” Brown, one year later.
Since then, the building on State Road 135 North has sat empty with an F.C. Tucker “for sale” sign out front. That sign will soon be taken down and the doors will open to receive customers once again.
Evelyn Mulherin used to live in Brown County and ate at Brownie’s all the time. “I said, ‘If that place ever comes for sale, I’m going to buy it,’” she said.
She later moved to Indianapolis, working full-time as a government financial specialist and operating the restaurant-bar, Monkey Business, on the south side of Indy. When Brownie’s eventually came up for sale, she called her partner, Brian Baker, and said, “Do you want to do something crazy with me?”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]“Oh Lord, Evelyn,” he answered. “Okay.”
They closed on the sale May 28.
Baker and Mulherin had been friends for about 15 years and have now been a couple for almost two. Baker is involved at Monkey Business, but Brownie’s will be “his baby.”
When asked if he was excited to be down in Brown County, Baker said yes, but he was also “scared to death.”
“As far as being an actual owner, this is my first go at it,” he said. He is going to quit his current full-time job and Brownie’s will be his main endeavor.
Baker also said he feels like he has “big shoes to fill.”
“Everybody talks about this place,” he said — “the biscuits and gravy, how good the food was. Kind of living up to that standard, for me, is a disadvantage, because I hadn’t eaten here before. I don’t have a baseline.”
Customers can look forward to the restaurant reopening with the same Brownie’s flair. Baker and Mulherin said that they’re not planning on changing the business, but just “add some things to it.” They’re planning on adding a pizza oven, hot wings and other favorites from Monkey Business in Indy. Catfish and walleyes are some of their specials up north, as well as an all-you-can-eat special on Fridays.
The home-cooked favorites from Brownie’s will be on their menu, like beef Manhattans and biscuits and gravy. “Different people have stopped by and almost every single person has said something about the biscuits and gravy,” Mulherin said.
The couple said they’re happy to be down here and to open the restaurant back up and hope everybody is as happy as they are. “We look forward to seeing you once we get everything straightened out and doors opened,” Baker said. They plan on being open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., most likely.
Despite not making significant changes to the menu and restaurant itself, the new owners are working diligently on things that caused Brownie’s to close in 2018. They’re working on a pump-and-haul waste system and “praying for sewer to come through,” Baker said. They’re beginning the septic work on June 17.
“We’re just now starting to scratch the surface as far as all the things that really need to be addressed,” he said. “Right now we’re looking at being opened the first or second week of July. In a perfect world, that’s what it’ll be.”
They hope to be an asset to community in more than just food. Working on repairs and reopening, one of the couple’s main goals is to keep everything in the community. “If I can help somebody down here put a little money in their pocket, I’d much rather do that than anything else,” Baker said. “If I can get somebody locally to help me out, and I’ll help them out, I’m all for it.”
They hope that customers can come in with an open mind and share suggestions on how they can improve, if need be.
“We’re going to try and keep things somewhat the same, but different at the same time,” Baker said.
