MADISON, Wis. — A new chapter has begun for Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club after it shut down suddenly at the end of February.

What You Need To Know

  • Kavanaugh’s Esquire Club  had been in Jackie Kavanaugh’s family from 1947 until last April, when her dad, John Kavanaugh, sold the restaurant to another owner

  • Then, on Feb. 27, a sign on the door announced the restaurant’s sudden closure

  • The Kavanaughs still owned the building and were able to take over ownership of the restaurant

  • The Kavanaugh family offered jobs to every employee who wanted to return. A community GoFundMe page has raised more than $6,700 to help the people who lost out on wages from the sudden closure

For the last few weeks, Jackie Kavanaugh has been hard at work at the family’s 77-year-old restaurant on Madison’s North Side, trying to help restore it to its former glory.

“We just took a lot of time getting phone calls, getting all the vendors to get product in, getting staff,” Jackie Kavanaugh said. “We’re still working on that.” 

The restaurant had been in Jackie Kavanaugh’s family from 1947 until last April, when her dad, John Kavanaugh, sold the restaurant to another owner.

Then, on Feb. 27, a sign on the door announced the restaurant’s sudden closure.

Jackie Kavanaugh said she was emotional when she heard the news.

“Just heartbreaking,” she said. “I’ve just kind of watched what happened through the last year.”

It was also a shock for employees, including Emma Gullickson, who’s worked as a server and bartender at the supper club for six years. She had quit a week before the sudden closure because she was unhappy with how things were going.

Gullickson said the shut down without notice hurt a lot of people.

“Some of us almost lost our homes; some of us almost lost our cars,” she said. “We had loans on our cars and some of us weren’t able to pay that. I’m very fortunate that I had a lot of my family live on the North Side, so they were able to help me out until I found another job.”

The Kavanaughs still owned the building and were able to take over ownership of the restaurant. Gullickson came back as soon as the Kavanaughs called to tell her they were building the restaurant back up.

“I’m very lucky and very grateful that a lot of people love seeing me and seeing my service, and I just strive to be a better server every day to make them happy,” she said.

The Kavanaugh family offered jobs to every employee who wanted to return. A community GoFundMe page has raised more than $6,700 to help the people who lost out on wages from the sudden closure.

“We had a lot of people, a lot of loyal customers that called up and asked, ‘You need help?’” Jackie Kavanaugh said. “‘You need someone to come and do this? Do that?’ They just volunteered. ‘We’ll do whatever you need.’”

Amid rising costs to keep restaurants in business, Jackie Kavanaugh hopes those loyal customers, as well as new ones, support the supper club’s second chance.

“We’ve got to keep the positive side of it and just say, ‘Let’s keep going and make it work and let’s serve some fish and some steak and good food and fun times,’” she said.

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