It was love at first bite for OQ Johnson when the former Iowa man discovered Mr. Steak after moving to Fargo-Moorhead in 1970.
Johnson went to Mr. Steak in Moorhead almost every day for lunch and he’d order the same thing: an elongated hamburger known as the Mr. Steak “finger lengths” served with a side of fries.
“That was the hit of the parade,” Johnson, 76, said of his Mr. Steak meal choice. “I never had a bad meal at Mr. Steak.”
For Johnson and Mr. Steak regulars, that experience must now become a memory.
Mr. Steak owners Nancy and Michael Nelson stand in the restaurant Thursday in south Fargo. Acalpuco Mexican Restaurant will be moving into the location.
The longtime Fargo restaurant at 1150 36th St. S., known for its Mr. Steak sirloin and soup and salad bar, has closed its doors after 32 years in business.
The former Mr. Steak will become the future home of Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, which is now at 1303 34th St. S., Acapulco owner Martin Gutierrez said.
Acapulco will move to Mr. Steak within a month, he said. New tenants will take over Acapulco’s spot on 34th Street South. More information on those tenants was unavailable Thursday.
Mr. Steak owners Nancy and Michael Nelson said it’s the right time to close their eatery.
That doesn’t make it easy to say goodbye to the place that’s been their lifeblood for the past 27 years.
“The whole crux of the Fargo Mr. Steak is the loyal customers,” said Nancy Nelson, 55. “They celebrated birthdays there, they celebrated anniversaries. They became like family. “That’s what made it a hard decision to sell.”
Mr. Steak first appeared in Moorhead in 1968 and Fargo in 1975. The Moorhead location closed in 1994.
The Nelsons bought the Fargo Mr. Steak in 1980 and operated the restaurant as franchise owners until the chain collapsed in 1993.
They continued to run the restaurant independently and kept the Mr. Steak name. The Fargo Mr. Steak was one of two remaining in the nation from what at one time had been a 288-store franchise chain, Nelson said.
She hoped the Fargo Mr. Steak would be the last in the U.S. That distinction now goes to the Mr. Steak in Independence, Mo.
The Nelsons plan to find other careers. Nancy Nelson said she’s looking forward to a life where she doesn’t have to always work on weekends and holidays.
Regulars like Johnson – who ate at Mr. Steak “at least once a week and sometimes more” with his wife, Marjorie, kept the restaurant’s spirit strong through the years, Nelson said.
In later years, the restaurant’s clientele tended to lean toward an elderly crowd for the dinner hour and business people at lunch, she said.
While the Nelsons got to know Mr. Steak’s regulars, the regulars also got to know the Nelsons.
The couple’s three children – Steven, 30; Joel, 28; and Laura, 22 – all worked in the restaurant at some point. None wanted to carry on the family business, Nelson said.
She sent personal letters to many Mr. Steak regulars to tell them the restaurant would close.
Through the years, Mr. Steak competed with other chain restaurants that populated the West Acres mall area. Other steak chains such as Bonanza, which closed in 1995, and Ponderosa, which recently closed at 3431 Fiechtner Drive, also competed with Mr. Steak.
Nelson said Mr. Steak’s family atmosphere and familiar staff drew repeat customers. Several employees, including manager Kathy Pausch, worked at the restaurant for more than 30 years.
Pausch said leaving Mr. Steak behind is a strange feeling after 35 years of managing it.
“It was very hard to say goodbye,” Pausch said.
“Lots of good memories; lots of good years.”
Readers can reach Forum reporter Melinda Rogers at (701) 241-5524
