It’s been a rough two years for Chameleon’s Pub and Grub, as it has for many restaurants. When Jean and Michael Hunter bought Chameleon’s in January 2020, they didn’t know what was on the horizon.
Weathering the COVID-19 pandemic and bar closure was tough, Jean said. Luckily, Chameleon’s had been doing carry-out.
“We weren’t carrying out at the level that we started doing during the pandemic, though,” Jean said. “Really, our carry-out business is what has saved us and kept us alive during the pandemic, and that business hasn’t tapered off even with restaurants being opened to the public again.”
Jean said that during that first year, the new owners were met with one hiccup after another – a refrigerator unit going kaput, a flattop needing to be replaced, a remodel and repairs to the building’s exterior.
“We’ve probably replaced every appliance in the kitchen,” Jean said.
Jean and Michael bring more than a decade working in restaurants earlier in their life.
“We have some close friends who owned a restaurant in West Des Moines,” Jean said. “I worked there in almost every capacity for more than a decade. Michael had the same level of experience.”
When Pam and Paul Jerabek were looking to sell Chameleon’s, one of the Hunter families favorite restaurants, Jean, Michael and son Charlie sat down as a family and discussed purchasing the restaurant to run as a family.
“I was really looking for something I could sink my teeth into but maybe not at the level we got in the past year,” Jean joked.
She said that Charlie was starting to work in restaurants, and he thought it would be something that could work as a family deal.
Specials connection
to communityOne of the perks of owning a restaurant is the ability to come up with specials.
For the trio, it’s a matter of brainstorming what they think will be popular in the community, looking at events that are in the area or popular culture.
That’s what gave them the idea for the Godzilla vs. Kong burgers they featured earlier this year, as the giant lizard and ape were being featured in a blockbuster movie coming to HBOMax and movie theaters.
“For the Kong burger, we knew bananas was going to be an ingredient, and then it was working with what other flavors we think would work with that to make something people would be interested in trying,” Jean said. “Others, like our Fourth of July burger or Iowa State Fair burgers, we looked at those events to inspire.”
She notes other more local events, like Tristan Wirfs Super Bowl win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spurred the creation of the Wirfs burger.
“Other specials are spurred on by the produce or items we can source locally,” Jean said. “We know the bacon, lettuce and fried green tomatoes are a very popular special to do seasonally.”
Hunter noted requests like the Reuben featured during the Lincoln Highway Arts Festival was because someone mentioned that while there is a Czech reuben on the menu, they were really craving a good traditional Reuben.
“Things like stuffed pork chops came from those recommendations, too,” Hunter said.
Some of what they’re able to generate comes from what is plentiful in the local ingredients.
“We do our best to source as many ingredients as we can,” Jean said.
The restaurant has found weird supply hiccups, though.
“Some of that is items like not having any onion rings,” Jean said. “Our distributor just doesn’t have them, and it’s something that ties our hands.”
Jean said some of the specials that people have loved have been moved to the menu permanently.
“We got so many compliments on the chams salad, with bleu cheese and cranberries that we had to make that a permanent item,” Jean said. “That’s how community feedback really helps shape our menu.”
There are things that go over really well and other specials that don’t do well at all.
“We really try to keep our menu to what goes over well in the community,” Jean said.
Outdoor seating a boonFor Chameleons, their outdoor seating in both front and behind the restaurant has been a boon and used frequently during the summer.
There have been people who see the seating full in front and wander into the restaurant and find out the deck behind the restaurant isn’t being used, helping the restaurant to utilize both outdoors spaces.
When it comes to what keeps Jean continuing to own and operate Chameleon’s, it comes down to the restaurant’s employees and guests.
“I think if we didn’t like the people who we worked with or the people attending our bar, we wouldn’t keep running it,” Jean said. “I love feeding the people I care about with the best food we can, and that’s the ethos of our restaurant.”
Staffing for the unknownOne issue that remains a challenge is staffing, especially in the kitchen.
“We have a couple of good chefs on staff now, but our issue is just needing an additional part time chef to help us handle the business swings we get,” Jean said. “There are times that it gets crazily busy in here, and any chef we have needs to have some kitchen experience, too.”
Jean said it has been getting better, but it is still a minor headache.
There’s still surprising rushes from time to time, but the Hunters are getting used to the ebb and flow of customers.
“We know if there’s a home football game, we need to have staff ready for our restaurant, but the week earlier where both teams were away, our restaurant was just as busy,” Jean said.
Aside from the food, Chameleon’s desperately tries to make sure they have a good selection of beers and alcohol on tap, many of it local or specialty craft beers from across the state.
“There’s usually a beer for anyone’s flavor profile either on tap or in cans,” Jean said.
Chameleon’s Pub and Grub: Two years in and going strong
October 28, 2021
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.