YANKTON, S.D. (AP) - “A sandwich served with an East Coast style and a Midwest smile.”
This treasured slogan has long donned Yankton’s Muggsy’s Sub Galley on Broadway.
After more than 26 1/2 years of dedication to their sub shop, owners John and Pam Murray have decided to sell the business.
It has been a long road for these longtime proprietors. From competition to tradition, Muggsy’s has proven itself one of Yankton’s most popular eateries.
John, a Boston native, came to Yankton College in 1969 to escape city life and follow a dream. After marring Pam, a Yankton native, and working for several years in the political circuit, Murray decided he would spend less time traveling and more time with his family.
In 1989, John and Pam started Muggsy’s (John’s family nickname) at the old bus depot across from Willcockson Eye Associates on Linn Street. After a year, they decided to expand and have graced 821 Broadway ever since.
“Broadway is a big street,” John told the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (https://bit.ly/1n3xYUC ). “There are a lot of good eateries and everyone’s food is good. When they chose Muggsy’s, we were honored and flattered that they would take their hard-earned money, come in and trust us to serve them a product that would meet their taste bud satisfactions.”
It was truly a family affair. Their daughters, Sara and Kate, along with Pam’s mother, Elenore Kappel, dedicated time and patience to help grow the business and pave the way for a new hot spot.
The beginnings created promise. But soon, competitors moved in throughout Yankton. Places like Little King Restaurant, Quizno’s, Blimpie’s Subs & Salads and Subway entered the ranks of the sandwich game.
“A number of people said that restaurants were a 90 percent failure factor,” John said. “People said, ’You can’t make it. You won’t do it. There’s no way.’ When Subway came, people thought they were going to run us out of town. Now, all are gone but Subway, and here we are.”
It was things like fresh, quality ingredients and good service that kept people coming back, John said. It was the tradition of Muggsy’s that defied all odds for more than 26 years.
“We were the ’Cheers’ of the eatery industry - the place where everyone knows your name,” John said. “We tried to do that with our customers and create that kind of atmosphere. I want to let people know that they were greatly appreciated.”
As Muggsy’s grew in popularity, several media outlets began showcasing the eatery’s subs. Maxim magazine rated Muggsy’s steak and cheese sandwich as 10th in the country, among cities like New Orleans, New York and Los Angeles, in 2005. That coverage drew even more attention as people from across the Midwest came to taste the rating for themselves.
“We are very grateful and appreciative to have had those features done on us,” John said. “That attributed to our success over the years. If we can get someone to come in, we have no trouble retaining them or bringing them back. Just get them in the door and give them the warm welcome and great food.”
Along with the media coverage came recognition from several celebrities throughout the years including South Dakota natives like Tom Brokaw, Adam Vinatieri and Ted Nugent, not to mention other sports icons like professional baseball player Ed Hearns and professional basketball coach Billy Donovan.
All of these notables are remembered and included in the Muggsy’s Door of Fame, a tradition of documenting notable people who have eaten at Muggsy’s over the years.
“These people always made a point to stop in and get their picture taken,” John said. “Not only have we known these people, we have gotten to be friends with a lot of them. These wonderful opportunities would not have been extended to us had we not had Muggsy’s and had it not been as successful.”
The Murrays say they fielded quite a few offers in the last few years from people willing to buy the place, but many interested parties wanted the building more so than the business, John said. They even looked at selling the location and continuing the business downtown. Although they don’t plan on starting a new shop, both John and Pam admit they were fighting to keep the current shop intact.
“Our preference was to keep Muggsy’s how Muggsy’s is,” Pam said. “(The new owner) has the basics. It has worked all these years, I say keep it the same.”
Both John and Pam have made themselves available to the new general manager, who has been in the food business for a while, according to Pam, and understands the complexities of running an eating establishment.
On their last day on the job (Dec. 22), John and Pam were sad to go but excited to start their new adventure.
“It hasn’t really hit us yet,” Pam said. “Once you do it and walk out the door the last time, it was hard to say goodbye. It’s exciting and bittersweet.”
With a new-found flexibility for family time and doting on their new grandchildren, the Murrays will be taking some much-needed time off for rest and relaxation. But they are by no means ready to retire. The couple plans to soon hit the pavement in the search for a new career.
Although the couple is saying goodbye to a new chapter, they will cherish the memories made at Muggsy’s.
“We want to thank our immediate family for their loyal support and our family of customers,” Pam said. “It is because of them. I always say, ’The customers must be doing something right, because they keep coming back.’”
After their many years of service, both John and Pam are proud to have had their success be remembered as a legacy of Yankton.
“What an honor it has become for us to be mentioned in the same sentence as Tastee Treet, Charlie’s Pizza and the Black Steer,” John said. “These are icons. This is Yankton. The pinnacle of the best of the eatery business, and now people would put us in that category. That was a big tribute and a thrill to me. That’s when you knew you had something that brings them back.”
___
Information from: Yankton Press and Dakotan, https://www.yankton.net/
Please read our comment policy before commenting.