The Legacy of Angus Barn: with Van Eure

In this episode of What's Up, Wake, we delve into the rich history and enduring success of Raleigh's legendary Angus Barn. Since opening in 1960, the restaurant has been a cornerstone for celebrations in the community, known for its exceptional steaks and inviting atmosphere. Join us as we sit down with Van Eure, daughter of founder Thad Eure Jr., to uncover the incredible journey of the Angus Barn. From its origins by Thad Eure Jr. and Charles Winston, through its challenges and triumphs, to the unique collections of Colt guns and Wild Turkey decanters, we explore what makes this establishment so special. Van shares heartwarming stories of employee loyalty, customer care philosophies, and the community initiatives driven by the Foundation of Hope. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant's standout features, including the elaborate Christmas decorations and the exclusive Meat Locker membership. Celebrate the 65th anniversary with us and learn how the Angus Barn has managed to remain a beloved Raleigh institution for over six decades.

00:00 Raleigh's Timeless Landmarks and the Angus Barn Legacy
01:26 Meet the Person Behind the Barn: Van Eure
02:00 The Origins of Angus Barn: A Crazy Story
02:42 Building and Rebuilding: The Early Challenges
04:27 Employee Loyalty and the Angus Barn Philosophy
10:43 The Secret to Longevity in the Restaurant Business
14:40 Collections and Antiques: A Peek Inside Angus Barn
23:52 The Foundation of Hope: A Personal Mission
26:38 The Stigma of Mental Illness
27:33 Foundation's Focus on Youth Suicide Prevention
28:19 From Teacher in Kenya to Restaurant Owner
28:47 The Transition to Angus Barn
34:34 Christmas at Angus Barn
37:16 65th Anniversary Celebration
39:50 The Coin Flip Business Deal
42:33 Customer Service Philosophy
47:21 The Meat Locker Tradition
50:26 Looking to the Future

Creators and Guests

Host

Melissa

Host of What's Up, Wake + social media manager + writer + travel editor

Producer

Joe "Buttons" Woolworth

Owner of Podcast Cary and pusher of buttons.

Guest

Van Eure

"Guests trust us to make their occasion a great memory that will be with them forever. Our golden opportunity is to give them this gift. Yes, great food and ambiance are important, but it goes far beyond the meal to an intangible feeling that money cannot buy." ~ Van Eure

What is What’s Up, Wake?

What’s Up, Wake covers the people, places, restaurants, and events of Wake County, North Carolina. Through conversations with local personalities from business owners to town staff and influencers to volunteers, we’ll take a closer look at what makes Wake County an outstanding place to live. Presented by Cherokee Media Group, the publishers of local lifestyle magazines Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad, What’s Up, Wake covers news and happenings in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Wake Forest.

24 - What's Up Wake - Van Eure/Agnus Barn
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Melissa: [00:00:00] . Few Raleigh landmarks have stood the test of time.

Poland Park, the Rialto Dorton Arena, Reynolds Coliseum. Those are a few that come to mind, but only a very small handful have stood the test of time in the restaurant world, especially while maintaining its reputation as being the best in town since 1960, [00:01:00] Angus Barn has been a Raleigh institution, a singular destination for celebrations.

My Aunt Georgette and Uncle Mark celebrated their wedding day with a dinner at Angus Barn half a century. Later, they returned to celebrate their 50th anniversary. People celebrate holidays and birthdays, retirements, and other huge life milestones there. Of course, they're known for steak, but save room for the chocolate chest pie.

I'm thrilled to welcome to What's up. Wake the person behind the barn. Van, your Thank you for being here today. Van, thank you so much for

Van Eure: asking me.

Melissa: I've heard your name so many times, probably my whole life, but I've never met you, so it's very nice to meet you. That's

Van Eure: so nice to meet you.

Melissa: I'd like to start at the very beginning with your dad, tha your junior.

He was the son of a North Carolina Secretary of State. Your senior of course, but instead of politics, he decided to open a restaurant with his lifelong friend, Charles Winston. [00:02:00] How did that come to be?

Van Eure: This is a crazy story. Neither of the two men knew anything about the restaurant world. They both had just come back from the service where they had been drafted.

This was when the draft was. Not the football draft, but the military draft.

Melissa: Yeah, because they did play football as well, right? Yes. Yeah. Yes, both of them did. So they went into the Air Force, is that right?

Van Eure: Yes.

Melissa: Okay.

Van Eure: And then they came back and they both were thinking, what? What should we do? We have kids, what are we gonna do?

So they said, well, Raleigh needs a steakhouse. So we're gonna build a steakhouse. So my mother cried for three days. She said, you know nothing about cooking. You know nothing about running a restaurant. So he said, no, no, we can do this. So they found the land, which was, by the way, the Raleigh Durham Highway was a tiny country road.

There was nothing but downtown Raleigh and downtown Durham, 5 40 40, none of that was there.

Melissa: And even the airport was super tiny back then. Was like, yeah. Little

Van Eure: landing strip. Yeah. So they bought [00:03:00] this land, which was very, very cheap. And no bank would loan them the money to be able a restaurant, 'cause they said a restaurant that far out in the country would never be successful.

So my grandfather, the Secretary of State. Went to the bank with them and put his house up for collateral. He said, I trust these guys. Oh,

Melissa: nice. I think

Van Eure: they can do this. So they built the restaurant. It was very funny because they had an architect draw the plans. He drew a barn restaurant. They said, no, no, no, we want a barn.

So he drew it again. They said, no, no. So they put him in the car and drove him out to Charles Winston's uncle's farm, walked him into a barn. Barn with cattle and. Oh, you want a barn? Yeah. With stalls. A big red barn. Yeah. So to feel like it really was a farm. So then of course they named it the Angus Barn, Angus Steak.

And you know, they ran for four year, the first four years it was kind of a disaster. But the only reason it really made it is [00:04:00] because they knew so much about how to treat people. Mm, how to treat customers, and how to treat employees. So if they made a mistake, they overcompensated to make it right. They learned everything through the school of hard, hard knocks.

And it burnt to the ground four years after it was open. Then when they rebuilt, they were able to build it right this time do it, you know, with the changes that now they knew, they

Melissa: knew a little bit better and yes, what might work better. Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: And the smartest thing that they did that I really learned from, and we still kind of base our philosophy on is the first thing is they called every single employee.

And said, don't worry, you can either work on the construction crew or we'll get you a job in Raleigh, but you're, you are, you know you're gonna be protected and you can come back as soon as we rebuild.

Melissa: That's incredible.

Van Eure: So it was just like the, from the very start, just taking care of your team. And the employees were so devoted to these two guys, which was rare in the restaurant industry, [00:05:00] that they actually started a profit sharing plan and family insurance and everything because they realized this is a career for these people.

Melissa: Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: This is not just a fly by night thing. These people, you know, this is where they're gonna be. So that was sort of the basis of really kind of our philosophy, how we run things is really take care of the customers and really take care of the employees. And if you do that, they're gonna take care of, of, of you.

So we still really adhere to that philosophy today of. Take such good care of your team. In fact, we treat our, our team like customers. We, we consider our, our employees customers. Mm-hmm. And as long as you do that, they're just gonna, they're gonna treat your guest.

Melissa: Yeah. Great. It, it, it cascades over to the guests.

Yes. So I can imagine because of that, you must have employees that have been there for decades. Right.

Van Eure: Our longest one is 47 years.

Melissa: Really?

Van Eure: Yes. And believe it or not, she started when she was [00:06:00] like 16, so she's really, she's in her sixties now. Mm-hmm. But she's still got, she's still, you know, gonna be working for a, for a while.

We have so many people in our 20 year club. 20 years means you've been there 20 years or longer. That we have had to now move the once a year, 20 year celebration down to the pavilion because of the Wow. We have to have a larger space. Yeah.

Melissa: Yeah. So,

Van Eure: We really do have a longevity there.

Melissa: Mm-hmm. And,

Van Eure: and that helps because the, the historical knowledge and the, and the, what that brings to the table with the newer people that come on board is, you know, this is how we do things here.

With, with the people that have been with us for a while. So it's, it's, it's a culture that you have to, it's a family it sounds like. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It is.

Melissa: And, and it gives you the opportunity to really not only get to know people, but. Watch them grow up.

Van Eure: Oh, watch them and build

Melissa: their own families and, and continue to, to grow.

Van Eure: And you won't believe [00:07:00] how many people bring, then their kids start working at the barn.

Melissa: Mm.

Van Eure: So we have so many mothers and fathers, and now their kids are now working there. And, you know, it's just, it's, it's just, it's really wonderful. Of course, you know, every restaurant has ev, every business has its ups and downs.

Mm-hmm. But, mm-hmm. We have so many basic rules, sort of Angus barn way that we never allow. We don't allow any, like attitudes or rudeness in our kitchen or in, or, you know, if there's a something that has to be resolved, it has to be done behind the scenes. Later, which is somewhat rare in the restaurant industry.

'cause you, I'm sure it is, do see people like lose it in the kitchen. But we, we can't, we don't allow that at all. 'cause people are walking through our kitchen all night long 'cause theyre going to the wine feller. That is very,

Melissa: yeah, that's very true. I'm actually gonna ask you a question about the, the kitchen part in a little bit.

Your dad also opened [00:08:00] other beloved Raleigh landmarks, Daryl's. For how? How long has it been since Darrell's has not been in Raleigh? I couldn't remember this. I feel like they were still there when I was in college. It

Van Eure: was in the late seventies that. Darryl's was sold to General Mills.

Melissa: Okay.

Van Eure: And then anytime a large corporation takes over a independent mm-hmm.

Business, a lot of times quality. Yeah. Things certainly change goes down. And so yeah. That, but that was in the late seventies.

Melissa: Okay. He also started Fat Daddies. Yes, which was my very favorite. Yes. And revived. I didn't know this. 42nd Street Oyster Bar.

Van Eure: Yes.

Melissa: All these restaurants have sadly since closed, most recently, 42nd Street Oyster Bar, even though they were very popular restaurants.

So how has Angus Barn not fall into the same fate?

Van Eure: Well, I will say concerning 42nd Street, there was my, when my father purchased the land there, [00:09:00] the. The owner of the land would not sell it to him. He, he did it with a 40 year lease. Oh. And the lease just recently came due.

Melissa: Okay.

Van Eure: And because land downtown is now so valuable.

Melissa: Yes.

Van Eure: The the property owner wanted so much for the new lease that

Melissa: Okay.

Van Eure: It really made it. Very difficult to

Melissa: mm-hmm.

Van Eure: Think about how, you know, you couldn't charge enough for a meal to make it worth it, but Wow. But there is some talk about a, there's possibly someone that may be purchasing the name and, and moving it to another location.

Melissa: That would be amazing. So,

Van Eure: yeah. That's very hope. That'd be great news. Very hopeful.

Melissa: I saw so many people very upset about the closing of that restaurant.

Van Eure: I know. I, I was one because it was so much of my. I remember my mother and father working on the recipes and mm-hmm. Doing the design and my mother even spending too much time making sure the bathrooms looked just right.

Mm-hmm.

Melissa: My husband used to shuck oysters there in [00:10:00] college, so I feel like everybody. Raleigh natives. Mm-hmm. Everybody seems to have some sort of connection to one of these restaurants that I just named, including Angas Barn.

Van Eure: I know. And yeah, 42nd Street was a heartbreaker. Mm-hmm. But, you know, it it, if he could have bought the land, it Yeah.

It would not have happened.

Melissa: Okay.

Van Eure: But Brad Hurley and John Vick, his partners, when my father passed away, they became the owners. And they have been trying to negotiate this for a couple of years and. With, with, with no luck, but hopefully, I mean, there's a chance that we still may have 42nd Street in Raleigh, so depending on what happens with with, we will

Melissa: keep our fingers crossed for sure.

What do you think the secret is for longevity in the restaurant business? I think you've kind of touched on it as far as employees. Mm-hmm. And having the right culture.

Van Eure: I think it's all about how you treat people. I think it's all about how you handle when [00:11:00] things go wrong. How you not, don't just make it a little right.

You overcompensate it and make it just so right. And how you treat your employees. We empower our employees. They can make decisions. I. If things go wrong, they can do anything that they need to do to make it right. They don't have to ask permission. So our, that's

Melissa: very interesting. I don't hear that very often.

Right.

Van Eure: But, you know, in, in all of my 35 years of running the restaurant, never one time has an employee taken advantage of that. Hmm. They take it so seriously that they have this this power to do whatever they need to do to make something Right. That, you know, they, they, they just handle it so wisely.

And what I tell them is I say, well, pretend like you're the guest and that whatever happened wrong that happened at your table, what would you want as the guest? What would, what would make it so right for you that you would leave there saying, wow, instead of saying. Oh my gosh, this happened wrong.

Melissa: Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: [00:12:00] So you get that in the mindset and sometimes it takes people a while to get into that 'cause they're not used to being treated that way in the workplace. They have to ask.

Melissa: It's very true. You know, can,

Van Eure: can we do this? Can we do this? But our employees are given that empowerment and you know, so I feel like you don't really, honestly have to be smart.

To own a business, you just have to hire people that have a servant's heart and you have to give them the authority to make. Great decisions and you also have to listen to to, to them, and we call this the 20 foot rule. When we have an issue, we go to the people that are within, we, we say 20 feet of the problem, and we say, help us solve it.

Because usually if you're working in the midst of the issue that's going on, you're the one that's saying, well, if they would just do this or this or this. It wouldn't happen. Mm-hmm. But too many times the owners don't think, well, let's ask the people that are involved in it.

Melissa: Yeah. [00:13:00]

Van Eure: And so when we, we use the 20 foot rule all the time, and we go to our team, what can we do to fix this problem?

And they usually have the answer.

Melissa: That rule can be applied to so many things. Yes. I mean, even in schools, for example. Yes. Getting, getting other people's opinion and input because you, you only see from your, your vantage point. Right. And it's not always the right vantage point. No.

Van Eure: They're the ones that are working in the midst of the issue.

Mm-hmm. So they've already thought, well, you know, if they would just add a saute station here, if they would just change the layout of this or this, you know, this would work so much better. And, and then all you have to do is ask. And then I, I, so I do think that. It is all about how you treat the employees, and we don't really hire for like, whether you're a great bartender or a great server, great cashier, great.

We hire for a servant's heart. I can teach you how to do anything. I can't teach you how to [00:14:00] have that care.

Melissa: Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: It says, I will do whatever it takes to make a guest experience here. Great. 'cause remember, we are serving people that are coming out for really special occasions. Yeah,

Melissa: yeah, yeah. All the celebrations, like I mentioned.

Van Eure: Yeah. I mean, and you've got, you've got one time to do your grandmother's 80th birthday, right?

Melissa: Mm-hmm. You've

Van Eure: got one time to, to do your parents' 50th anniversary. You've got one, you've got one time, and so you know they're coming out for that. They're trusting you with that experience. So, yes. Are we gonna mess up?

Yeah, we're gonna mess up. But it's, it's the recovery.

Melissa: Yeah. It's the owning it. Mm-hmm. Making it. Right. Right. I wanna talk about the antiques and collections. I, I read that your dad was a collector. I. He was, and I can tell walking into Angus Barn that he might've been.

Van Eure: Yes.

Melissa: So can you highlight some of the collections that are seen throughout Angus barn especially?

I mean, the guns are obvious, right? I, I, I went [00:15:00] to dinner in Angus Barn last night. I was telling you this, and I overheard a lady giving a tour. To some, some people, and I heard her talking about the guns, so I I did find that fascinating. But is there anything that you'd like to highlight?

Van Eure: Well, the, you know, my father was never really a hunter or he never really shot guns, but he realized that colt guns were increasing in value more than any other kinds of guns because the way they're made.

Every year they increased 10%. So he started getting really interested in Colt guns and how intricately they were made. And a lot of 'em were hand carved and they had so much, there's a lot of history with, with Col guns, a lot of really famous people owned them.

Melissa: And Colt Guns. For our listeners, I did not realize this until I was looking at them in person last night, they're kind of like old Western style guns.

Yes. So one of the guns that you have was owned by Hank Williams, Sr. Yes. But I'm also picturing the old Western movies that, that [00:16:00] style gun, you know, it's the little, put 'em

Van Eure: up, also, the little inger guns that women carried in their, you know, right. Like in their muffs, like, okay, little tiny guns. And then we have one gun that is with the most valuable one.

There were only four made, and it was because it was engraved. The silver on the gun is engraved a certain way, and there were only four made. Currently they believe that. One is buried with a famous trick shoot artist. They don't know where he's buried. The other one the other two, they don't know where they are.

And so the only one that they know the location of is the one that we have. And there were only four of those made. So that one is the most valuable one in our collection. And then we have one that was owned by Clint Eastwood. And so my father would go to these gun shows and he just learned so much about it.

He, he, he just got very interested in it and he would. Purchase these guns and then, and then just, you know, he, well, well, they were in our house and my mother was like, oh my gosh. [00:17:00] Get the guns out. So then when, when we, when North Carolina changed the drinking law, you know, when we first opened it was liquor by the drink.

People would come in with their brown bag.

Melissa: Oh, I've never even heard this. Okay, so North Carolina

Van Eure: was one of the last states in the country to where you could order liquor, like alcohol, drinks, and people would, so what, what they would do for the first 10 years of, of Angus Barn's existence, you would come in with a brown bag.

You bring your own liquor. You would request setups like seven up ginger, a ice, lemons, and you would pour your own drinks, the customer. And then there was another law that said you couldn't drive with an open bottle in your car. So of course they finished off the whole bottle. And then it defeated the whole purpose of Yes, I would say so.

So, so then when my father fought with, in the, with the North Carolina Restaurant Association, they fought for years with Congress too. To change and have let North Carolina have liquor by the drink, which means we could serve [00:18:00] alcoholic drinks in restaurants. And so finally when the law changed, they built the Wild Turkey lounge and then that was when they added the extra lobby space and that's where he said, this is where I'm gonna display my guns.

Mm-hmm. To finally get them out of the house. So my wife is happy.

Melissa: I can imagine. 'cause it's quite a display. Yes.

Van Eure: It's it's huge, huge that, that

Melissa: would take up a, the majority of my house. Right, right. He every wall space.

Van Eure: And then the other thing he collected, which was very funny 'cause my mother is. She's a designer and she, everything that she does is so like pristine and perfect.

So he started collecting wild Turkey decanters, well, wild Turkey bourbon for eight years produced their, their fifth of bourbon in these actual turkeys. I. Where if you remove the head, that's where it's like a fifth of, it's like a, a bottle. Mm-hmm. But you remove the head and then that's where you pour the liquor out.

Okay. And these are you, and they're up in the Turkey lounge now, but they're actually the shape of like turkeys. Mm-hmm. [00:19:00] Like, like wild turkeys. And so they, and they made all different kinds. They made 'em for eight years. And so he said, well, these are gonna become collectors items. And they did. So we also had, so he would buy like so many of these turkeys every year.

And then we had also turkeys all over the house and my mom was like get the turkeys out. Mm-hmm. So, so when he, when he built the Turkey lounge, we named it the Wild Turkey Lounge, made a wild Turkey bourbon, our house bourbon, and then displayed the whole Turkey collection up there. And now the cool thing is, is that now wild turkey's no longer making the bottles out of turkeys anymore.

But people that find them in their attics, like my grandfather might have collected two turkeys, they'll bring 'em to us and they'll say, can you display these? Mm-hmm. So, we'll, we'll, sometimes if they bring us a lot of 'em, we'll make a little plaque and make a shelf just for that display. So, so people bring us you know, their turkeys, that's [00:20:00] another collection.

And then. All of the farm equipment that's there. So many farmers, well, especially when the Angus farm burnt to the ground farmers from all over not just North Carolina, but all over the south, brought like heart pine, lumber and, and you know, farm equipment to how, you know, to say we wanna contribute to the rebuilding.

That's

Melissa: nice.

Van Eure: So that's how we got all of the tools. That's really amazing. All tools and. And, and you know, I just had the idea today, someone gave me the idea to, to on all the antiques, to put a little barcode that you can actually look up and read about what this was and where it came from and, and what it was used for.

And so, you know, just, I, I'm, I'm definitely gonna do that. I'm definitely gonna, sounds like

Melissa: a lot of work, but I think that's a great idea. Yeah. '

Van Eure: cause people are like, what was this, what was this? Mm-hmm. So, you know, and we'll, and we'll come across things well, so when my father built the Darrel's restaurant chain, he would just literally go to [00:21:00] yard sales and say, I'll take everything.

And so, 'cause he would, he would store 'em in a warehouse. Mm-hmm. And then use them in one of the Darrel's restaurants. You never

Melissa: know when you need something. Right.

Van Eure: And I'm talking junk. Or it could be double decker buses or it could be caboose, but. You know what we, he used all of them in his restaurants and just recently, I was actually going through a storage room and I found this saddle, this old western saddle that looked so terrible.

My husband said, throw away. And I said, no, no, no. And it has been restored. One of our employees restored it. It is so beautiful, and it's, and we've got it sitting on in the saloon on a, on a little stand that people can sit on it and get their picture taken. So, you know, I, I love taking old things and figuring out second uses for them.

Yeah.

Melissa: So, well, it sounds like you, you inherited your dad's vision to be able to look at something that might be junk to somebody else, but is treasure when it's put inside [00:22:00] the Angus barn, right? Mm-hmm. We mentioned your mother, and when I, when I think about all that your dad created. Any kind of success story.

There's always a woman behind the scenes, quite frankly. So I'd love to hear a little bit about your mom.

Van Eure: She was the recipe queen. So she would take every single recipe that they were working on from french onion soup to every one of the desserts to

Melissa: the chocolate chest pie that I mentioned. The pie?

Yeah.

Van Eure: Everything. And she would work on it until it was, I mean, they, they may work on a recipe like. For example, we, we must have eaten ribs for six months until we got the rib sauce just right.

Melissa: Yeah.

Van Eure: And so she would work on a recipe and then of course dad would get in there and help her. But she was, she was really, her, her expertise is design and recipes and she was a fantastic cook.

So. She worked on the [00:23:00] recipes relentlessly until they were perfect. And we still go back and like, we'll, we'll take, we'll take something like the creams, spinach, and we'll say, okay, let's taste it. Let's tweak it. Let's, and then we'll order one from every grill and make sure that all the cooks are doing it the same way.

You know, because it, it's, it's a constant process to keep everything the same Yeah. Co quality. Consistent. Consistent, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Melissa: How did the Walk of Hope come to be and. Also with that, why mental illness [00:24:00] awareness

Van Eure: now? Now, I do not mind saying this at all, so don't think this is a bad topic for me. My brother, when he was 16 years old, all of a sudden had a he was a star football player, just incredible guy.

Had a major chemical imbalance happened just. Inside him, which no one understood at that time. Mm-hmm. But found out later schizophrenia. And this was 40 years ago when no one understood schizophrenia. Yeah. And so my parents in desperation were taking him to every hospital in the country and everywhere they went, every doctor would say, we know nothing about mental illness.

Mm. We know nothing about what's going on with your son. So realizing in my father's incredible way of just. Saying, I'm gonna turn this into something. He realized I can't make my own son well, but I, I am going to do something so that one day that we can maybe eradicate some of these mental [00:25:00] illnesses. So he started the Foundation of Hope and started he board of directors and put his own money into it and they funded research projects.

Delving into research projects for cures. Mm-hmm. For everything from bipolar to schizophrenia to postpartum to PTSD, you know? Mm-hmm. To everything. And so, and now 40 years later, my sister runs the organization and we have two huge events a year. One is the walk and one is the Evening of Hope, and we have funded so many.

Projects several that have, have really come to fruition and created some great medications and things. That's remarkable. Yeah. So, so it's, it's because of a, a personal family illness that at that time was really not talked about. If you had someone in your family that was mentally ill, you did not talk about it.

In fact, we really weren't even allowed to talk about it when my brother [00:26:00] first got sick. But as my father came to understand it. It was, well, you know, he, he, he came to understand this, this, this is a. Thing that happened in his body is not something he can help. Yeah. It's

Melissa: an, it's an illness. Yes. Yeah. So you, you try to find the answers just as you would for any other illness.

Right.

Van Eure: It's a true chemical imbalance mm-hmm. With the chemicals that affect the brain.

Melissa: Wow.

Van Eure: And so, so that's why we do what we do. What a testament

Melissa: of love though, to turn, to turn something so scary. Yeah. And to something now, 40 years later has, has created such a remarkable. Yes. I

Van Eure: mean, especially with, with the stigma.

Yeah. 'cause people can now really, I mean, I don't think pe I think people understand that this is not something people just make up that they have. Mm-hmm. I mean, this is a true illness. And I, I'll never forget watching my parents sit there and talk about with, you know, tears. We can't make our son, well, we can't make our son [00:27:00] well, but we have to do something.

Mm-hmm. I mean, this is so horrible that no one knows anything about these illnesses that we have to do something. So, so from this tragedy has, has come really great things.

Melissa: Yeah. And I, I think that there still is somewhat of a stigma, but when you get down to it, I don't know, a family. That I've ever met that doesn't have someone Right.

That they love, that has suffered in some way from mm-hmm. Something like you said, it could be postpartum depression or, or a different form of depression, but everyone is touched by it. Right.

Van Eure: And especially now with what happened during the pandemic and with social media, with young kids

Melissa: mm-hmm.

Van Eure: And the suicide crisis that has happened with young kids.

So our foundation has now started a program at UNC where we are concentrating on young kids and young adults. I. With how suicide prevention and inter, you know, how to recognize the signs [00:28:00] and, and try to get intervention as soon as possible. So that is our most recent focus.

Melissa: That is, that is so wonderful.

Thank you for doing everything that you and your family have been doing for this. I, I loved reading about it, but hearing about it from you is, is really touching. So thank you for sharing that with us. Oh,

Van Eure: you're welcome.

Melissa: I also read, and I don't know if this is true, but I read that you were following your dream job as a teacher in Kenya.

Yes. When you returned home to take care of your ailing father. And he was, he was young. He was 56 when he passed. Yes. I'm assuming you never really planned to, to go into restaurant life, especially running such a, a, a big organization really. When your father died, you did just that. So tell me about the transition from being a teacher in Kenya.

To coming home and taking over Angus barn?

Van Eure: Well, so I had worked, and this was what,

Melissa: 1998 ish?

Van Eure: Well, he passed away in 88.

Melissa: [00:29:00] Okay.

Van Eure: And, but I was in Kenya for five years. I have always been kind of a rebel. And so I, and I, and I worked at the restaurant my whole life. I, in fact, I kind of thought everybody worked when they were seven.

We all, we all worked every weekend. We all worked all the time. And so I had pretty much said, I. Oh, I'd worked in every position, the whole restaurant, from dishwashing to cleaning bathrooms, to waiting tables, and I kind of said, mm, it's not really for me. So I had a teaching degree and then I went on a mountain climb right outta college in Kenya where we climbed.

It was a three month program. We climbed Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro at the end of the program. I literally went to the airport, you're gonna think I'm crazy. And I looked at everyone that was on the program with me and I said. Guys, I'm not getting on the plane. And they like, what are you gonna do?

And I said, well, I'm gonna teach this country needs teachers. Mm-hmm. And I'm gonna teach. So I sent my parents a telegram. Oh no. I mean [00:30:00] there was, oh

Melissa: no,

Van Eure: this was horrible. There were no phones.

Melissa: Yeah.

Van Eure: And I Can you imagine that this guy comes walking up to your door and he's holding it? You get this? I, I couldn't afford so many words.

I didn't dare say I need money to stay, you know? Of course. So I said, not coming home looking for a job, you know? Love it here. So, got it. For the,

Melissa: for listeners out there that don't know telegrams, you had to pay what, by the word or by the letter. By the letter. Yes. So you had to keep them very short or they're gonna get quite expensive?

Right.

Van Eure: So my poor parents, I'm so sorry, but I did send them a telegram, which is the only way I could reach them and I, here I was in Africa. They had no way of reaching me. Yeah. It's not like

Melissa: you're in another state.

Van Eure: No.

Melissa: You're across the world.

Van Eure: Yes. Mm-hmm. And there was no way they could find me. So, but, but, but I, I, I wasn't, you know, they could

Melissa: try,

Van Eure: but I, I wasn't thinking clearly, of course.

Like I never did at that stage of my life. [00:31:00] And, but I did get a job with, I, I taught, I ended up teaching there for five years, and I, I absolutely loved every second of it. I lived in a hut. I had an outhouse, I had one light bulb, I had nothing. But I, I felt like I was the richest person in the world because I lived on the Indian Ocean and I looked out at this.

Wow. And the students, they craved their education because not everybody got education. It was a privilege. Yes, it was a privilege. 'cause if you had a school in your area, you got to be taught. Mm-hmm. And so I knew there was a desperate need. So. I, I got so close to my students and I had the same ones for five years.

I had kind of a Montessori style school, and I had, my youngest was three and my oldest was 12, and I had like 20 students at a time. I, I just absolutely thrived there. Mm-hmm. And I, I mean, I would probably still be there, [00:32:00] but my father got really sick at such a young age and, and when I came home. I really didn't have a lot of time with him.

Melissa: Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: But the good thing is, is that I, I started sort of, kind of at a loss, you know, for what to do. 'cause I, here I was coming from Kenya and back in the States and, you know, everything's totally different. And I'm in shock night and

Melissa: day. Yeah, I'm sure.

Van Eure: So I, but I, but I did realize from watching him run the restaurant, the, the time that I had with him.

My goodness. He is, he's really a great leader and he's really a great man. 'cause we had always butted heads. Yeah, of course. Mm-hmm. And he thought, well, she's really a nice person, you know, so. Mm-hmm. We kind of started really getting along for the first time, so it was such a blessing that I got to have those years, few years with him.

And then when he passed, though, I was in no way ready to really take over the business, but. I did know enough [00:33:00] to listen to the employees. Mm-hmm. And I would go to the ones that had been there a long time and say, what would he do?

Melissa: Yeah.

Van Eure: You know, help me. And so, so many of the employees that had been there forever really helped me to sort of, and I learned everything through the school of hard knocks.

Melissa: Yeah. But what an amazing mentor to have to, to want to look at people and say, what would he do? Yes. And want to emulate that.

Van Eure: Yes. And because, because he was so wise, which of course I never realized. You know, growing up, but he was such a great business person. Mm-hmm. And he valued his employees so much that, you know, then I realized that that's really the secret to success is just treat people great.

Melissa: Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: And then they just, they wanna treat you great. They wanna treat your employee, your customers, great. Mm-hmm. So that really sort of set the standard for how, and then, you know, the other thing is I also got to fulfill my need to give back because in Kenya I really felt like I was giving, but at the Angus farm, because I.

[00:34:00] We have so many employees and we're, we're so involved in so many community projects that I realized, okay, I can still teach here and you know, with, with the team that I have here, and we can be, we can really make a difference. We can be involved in so many community mm-hmm. Projects here that. You know, I, I, I, I realize it's so much further than just serving food.

Melissa: Yeah.

Van Eure: You know, you're serving really memories, which is something that money can't buy.

Melissa: Yeah. And filling the void of your beloved career that you left behind, I'm sure. Right? Yeah. Ans Born is on everyone's wishlist throughout the year, but particularly at Christmas time. I can't underscore enough how elaborate the decor is.

It is beautiful. It really looks like you've walked into a Hallmark movie set. When do, when did you start going out All out for Christmas? Was that something that even your dad did, or did you implement that and how do [00:35:00] you manage to pull off such a monumental task every year? So.

Van Eure: My father just had a huge tree in the lobby, and then they would decorate the tree and then the mantle over the fireplace.

My, when, when my, my father passed away and then my mother died 10 years later. My sister and I, we went, we we, Christmas was really hard for us. We said, we're just gonna go away the year for Christmas. So we went to the Greenbriar. Well, every room that we went through. They had a different beautiful theme for Christmas and we were just there to kind of heal.

Mm-hmm. 'cause we didn't wanna be at home without our parents. And, and she said, my sister looked at me and she said, now you know, van, if the Greenbriar can do every room this beautifully, you know, the Angus barn should Mm. And I'm like, challenge accepted. You're right. And so, so I, I, so I got lucky. And some of, one of my neighbors [00:36:00] was walking up the road from my house with her dog and she says, you know, van, I have a group of friends that really wants to help decorate for Christmas.

'cause I used to, the employees used to have to help, they would work all night long and then they'd have to come in in the morning and help me decorate and they'd be like, exhausted. And so. So my neighbor, she says, I've got a group of friends that really wants to help. And I said, you know, this isn't like a flower invasive decorating.

This is like hardcore. Mm-hmm. Like on ladders,

Melissa: tall ladders. Yep. Mm-hmm. And

Van Eure: so from that group, a group of women and maybe like 50 women, it's, we've grown to now. About five men and the men, they'll, they'll do the, the heavy duty stuff and the women come behind and do all the design. And from that grew this group of women that now I.

Come back every year. Mm-hmm. And look forward to it. We've become close friends mm-hmm. And help and, and, and put it together and, [00:37:00] and everybody kind of puts their ideas together and we plan what, what room, what, what we're gonna do in each room, and how it's gonna look from year to year. So I have this incredible team that helps me every year.

Yeah.

Melissa: So it's really a tradition at this point. Yes. You guys are celebrating Angus Barnes 65th anniversary at the end of June. Tell us about the celebration.

Van Eure: Well, we are having a party where we're bringing back the sixties.

Melissa: Mm-hmm.

Van Eure: We are having it on Friday night, June 27th at the Pavilion, and we are gonna have.

Servers on roller skates. We're gonna have disco dancers on platforms. Oh, I love it. We have a sixties band, a dj. We're having a performance by Elvis. Everyone's coming in sixties attire. Yeah, we're serving all Angus barn classics, but also a lot of the food from the sixties. You know, like pigs in a blanket.

Mm-hmm. And we're having a big living room area that's [00:38:00] gonna be set up that looks just like the living room from the sixties with the shag carpet and the tacky wallpaper and

Melissa: Oh, I love it. And

Van Eure: then we're gonna have all the movie posters from the sixties and it we're, we're just, we're just. We're really, we're gonna have protesters out front with signs.

Are you really? So we're really just doing it right? Mm-hmm. I mean, we're, we're trying to really make it a, a party that people talk about forever because we, you know, you only turn 65. I mean, yeah. That's pretty major

Melissa: and it's, yeah, it's a huge deal in the restaurant business, like I said.

Van Eure: Yeah. And there's,

Melissa: there's only a handful in Raleigh.

I was researching that there's a very small handful of restaurants that are as older or older than Angus Barn. Right.

Van Eure: There's not many, believe it or not, char Grill opened the same year. We did.

Melissa: I saw that in my research. Yes. Yes. You're both turning 65.

Van Eure: And they were, the owners were dear friends with my father.

Mm-hmm. And I'm now dear friends with them. And they, and by the way, I love Char Grill. I love [00:39:00] to go, char. I do

Melissa: too. I love charcoal. I've never met anybody that doesn't like charcoal. I don't think I would trust that person. I mean, neither if I, yeah, I will. I will say a little story. My grandfather worked for PYA and he used and he and his best buddy, Doug Pierce.

I'm getting asked a little shout out to Doug Pierce. Yes. He used to sell to your dad and And to Mr. Winston. Yes. So I called Doug yesterday. I said, Hey, I'm meeting Van. What should I ask her? So this is gonna be the first question of my new segment, which is called Ask What's Up Wake. I reached out to my Facebook friends and some personal friends and, and said, Hey, I'm, I'm interviewing the owner of Angus Barn.

What should I ask her? So, Doug wants me to ask you this. You can tell me if this is out of line. Nothing's outta outta becausecause. I have no idea what he's talking about. Nothing's

Van Eure: outta line.

Melissa: He wants me to ask you about Charlie Winston and your dad flipping a coin. Do you know about this story? This is the

Van Eure: [00:40:00] greatest business deal I've ever heard of in my life.

So these two guys. Absolutely had the most respect for each other and really adored each other. But when they finally hired a general manager, when they finally had enough money to hire a general manager, they realized that they didn't both need to be there. You know, all the time that, that, you know, one, one, they didn't both need to own it.

And so they decided they would have the barn appraised and then they would flip a coin, and this was down on a handshake. That whoever won the flip got to choose whether they wanted to buy or sell. And Charles won the flip and Charles chose. Oh, Charles

Melissa: won. He

Van Eure: won.

Melissa: Oh. So

Van Eure: Charles chose to sell because he wanted to then do something with his sons, which was Concord Hotels.

And he did, he did a lot of things with hotels with his sons, and he chose to sell so that, and there was no questions. They did it on a handshake, coin [00:41:00] flip. I choose to sell and, and the appraised price is what they went with. And that's how that happened. It was nothing that was done by an attorney

Melissa: Yeah.

Van Eure: Or anything like that. It was just two dear friends that had so much respect for each other that I. That was, that was the deal.

Melissa: That just, it sounds so wild that it's almost not even believable. And when Doug said, you've gotta ask her this question, I thought, there's no way.

Van Eure: Yeah. That's how it happened.

Exactly. That's crazy. Flipped a coin. Mm-hmm.

Melissa: And

Van Eure: Charles won the flip.

Melissa: Nice. Well, I, I, again, my grandfather was with POYA for many years, his entire career, and he always spoke so highly of, of your family and, and of Mr. Winston as well, so, oh, Mr.

Van Eure: The Winston's our first class. Mm-hmm. Mr. Winston was like a second father to me, I'm sure.

And you know, PYA was the first company that died down in our wine cellar.

Melissa: Oh, okay. Yeah,

Van Eure: we have a plaque for them. They were the very first. Do you? Yes,

Melissa: I bet [00:42:00] my grandfather was there.

Van Eure: I'm sure he was. Yeah,

Melissa: I bet he was there.

Okay. Lisa asks, what is the secret to snagging a coveted reservation for a Saturday time slot during the month of December? Well, is there a certain date each year? Yes. That the reservations open?

Van Eure: Well, so, so this is funny. It used to be that you could make reservations several years out and you could book it for years out.

Well, we crashed. We, we got on an open table system because it was really hard for us to judge how long people sit during a dining experience and sometimes, mm-hmm. We were having trouble, like sometimes people would be waiting for the reservations really long, and so open table. Is a system that constantly adjusts how long a dew sits, how long a four top sits, how long, and it even just for the seasons of the year.

So, so OpenTable really helped us get our reservations so that we could keep everything more, you know, in line with what we've told the. Customer, you know, you'll be seated at seven and we're not gonna seat you now [00:43:00] at 7 45. We're gonna seat you at seven. Well, we, we were on our same system where people could book way in advance and we crashed OpenTable.

So OpenTable was calling me saying, you crashed our system. And I'm like, well, do I say. I'm proud. Or do I say I'm sorry? Yeah,

Melissa: a little bit of both.

Van Eure: So, whoops. So they said we can no longer allow everyone to call at one time. We have to. Oh, okay. So, so they put a rule, they gave us a rule that has really made a difference.

So. You can make your reservation 120 days out. Oh, okay. So actually you so, so if you, if you go to our reservation system online and you click on the date in December that you want, it'll give you the date like in July or August, whatever, 120 days out is that you, that you can mark in your calendar to then go online and make your reservation or to call.

And so you're only making it for that day. And so, so it's, it, [00:44:00] it keeps it, it keeps it so fair and so e much easier to work with, but it sounds

Melissa: like it's harder to get than a Taylor Swift ticket. It really does. Well, I've never been able to get one of the reservations myself. So, well,

Van Eure: now, now go online, click on the date you want, mark your calendar, and at one o'clock go call us.

And, and as, as long as you're not like wanting like a 20 top.

Melissa: Yeah.

Van Eure: It will not be a problem.

Melissa: Okay. Good to know. And Melissa, another Melissa, not me, I promise is somebody else wants you to tell us about the meat Locker members and induction process. I also have no idea what this is about.

Van Eure: Well, when North Carolina changed the smoking law.

We, we were also one of the last states to go to non-smoking in restaurants. So all of my smokers were like, van, where are you gonna put us? What are we gonna do? So we had this old meat refrigerator that we were, that we were getting ready to renovate and, [00:45:00] and I said, okay, we're not gonna make this a meat locker anymore.

This is gonna be where our smokers go because. The law stated that you could smoke as long as it was not near the entrance, and as long as it was ventilated on two sides. So we realized we could make this meat room, which was huge like a porch where it was open on two sides, and we could, we didn't, we, you know, wasn't near, near the entrance.

Mm-hmm. And it wasn't connected to the ventilation system or the restaurant. So, so we called it the meat locker because that's what it used to be. And they were like, well, where are we gonna put the meat? And I said, well, that's for y'all to figure out. Yeah, I'm taking care of my smokers. So, so then the, the meat locker, it, it, it became, I.

So much. Well, well first of all, you have to go not just through the kitchen, but the, through these, all these like kind of back storage rooms to get to it. So you really felt, you were like in a Goodfellas movie where you were going to the, you know, back part of the restaurant. So when they [00:46:00] would, when they would, the first couple of, well the first a hundred people that came in, we had them put their hand on a cigar box and, you know, raise their right hand and take an oath that whatever happens in the meat locker, stays in the meat locker.

It was really cute and we gave 'em a. A little card that was a membership. We stopped at a hundred. We still have, you know, we still. Have the a hundred members and they, they proudly carry their little membership cards. Yeah. But now, as of like two years ago, we did end up having to make the meat locker area non-smoking because it became too difficult to get employees to, or fair to get employees to work there because how do you force someone to work in smoking?

Oh yeah, that's true. You know, it's dangerous for their help. Mm-hmm. So we, you know, for the first 15 years that we had it, it was wonderful. Yeah. The good old days. But then yeah. But then it became sort of a, not a great, well the smokers loved it, but

Melissa: [00:47:00] Yeah.

Van Eure: But the employees, it was very difficult for us to, to justify mm-hmm.

Having them work and smoking. So we changed it to like, we still call it the meat locker, but it's, it's non-smoking. It still has the same feel but. It's not, it's, you don't make reservations, you just can wait. It's more of a really relaxed, casual with a fire pit. Okay? An outside area. A really a fun casual area, but we did give the smokers a spot, another spot, but we don't serve meals there.

Melissa: Okay. And

Van Eure: I'm still in the process of making that look really nice. 'cause the, the smokers are like van, we need a, we need like an awning. We need this, we need this. So I always listen to what my, my customers say. So I, I'm still in the process of making that. Nice. You're working on it. Yeah.

Melissa: I cannot thank you enough for coming here and talking about Angus Barn and the amazing 65 year history that you have, and I wish you another 65 years of thank

Van Eure: you

Melissa: of of wonderful food and, and creating [00:48:00] more history.

Thank

Van Eure: you. Thank goodness my children are both interested. I, I ask if there, there was, I ask if they were sick. Said, are y'all okay that you've really been raised by two parents that are in this industry? Mm-hmm. And you really wanna do this, but both of them love it and wanna be in it. So both of working there, so I, I it will hopefully will continue on.

Good. And, and just so grateful to all of the customers that believe in us. And if, if anyone out there is listening and we have messed up with you. Please let us know what we've done so we can make it right. Because that's, that's the big thing is that, you know, a lot of people don't say when something goes wrong, but we really wanna know.

Melissa: I have a feeling you will not be getting any phone calls because I've never heard anybody have a bad experience at Angus Barn.

Van Eure: Oh, thank you so much.

Melissa: Thanks for being here. You're welcome.

Van Eure: My pleasure.

[00:49:00]