One of Madison's longest-running supper clubs changes hands

The first Old-Fashioned cocktail that Craig Spaulding will make on the first official night of his new ownership of Kavanaugh's Esquire Club on Wednesday, May 8, will be for the original owner: John Kavanaugh.

The handoff has been about a year in the making. When Spaulding — a well-known local barman who co-owned for 17 years the now-closed Cafe Montmartre (where Heritage Tavern is now on East Mifflin Street) — heard from one of his regulars at the AC Lounge that the owner of the northside supper club was looking to sell, Spaulding took a leap of faith.

"I have never owned or worked at a supper club, but I'm a huge fan of them," says Spaulding. "I'm fascinated with the charm and the legacy that each one of them seems to have."

It's not uncommon for a supper club to meet its end when an owner decides to retire and there's no one interested in keeping it going. But that's not the case for the 77-year-old Esquire Club, purchased in 1947 by John (Jack) Kavanaugh, Jr., and his wife, Jane.

While Spaulding has made a few changes — like painting and putting in new carpeting — he says he's dedicated to upholding the traditions and legacy left by the Kavanaughs at 1025 N. Sherman Ave. "Taking over a restaurant that's been in their family for almost 80 years, I feel completely honored to be able to do it," he says.

The name will remain Kavanaugh's Esquire Club, which seats about 300. Supper club classics like fish fry, steaks and cheese spread will stay — Spaulding says he wants to keep the menu fairly the same, but will maybe put twists on some of the classics and bring in a few new things that stay within the supper club genre. Cory Campion is still the head chef (Spaulding used to work with Campion at the now-closed Avenue Club) and will remain along with many current staff members.

"There's a lot of staff I've inherited who are just outstanding, dedicated, hard working and knowledgeable, so I've got a leg up right there in helping with the transition," he says.

The characteristic logo — half fish, half steer raising a martini glass — will also stay, Spaulding says, noting that it was a drawing a family friend of the Kavanaugh's created, replacing its original stylized "E" logo. There's a stained glass window inside the restaurant donning the fish/steer mascot that Spaulding hopes to backlight in the future.

Spaulding, who is known for his bartending, won't completely redo the drink program, but over time will make it his own. "I don't want to intimidate the longstanding regulars that come in there," he says. "People tell me all the time that they've been coming in here 60, 70 years."

Leaving the AC Lounge, where Spaulding had most recently been working and had become a fixture over nearly seven years, was not something he was looking to do. "I loved working at the AC Lounge," he says. "I was so happy and fulfilled."

But the prospect of owning a supper club was exciting for him. "To me, supper clubs are magical and so woven into the fabric of our lives in Wisconsin," Spaulding says.

Wednesday marks the official transition, and Spaulding has decided to make the night a fundraiser for The River Food Pantry, one of his northside neighbors. He made that decision because he recently took a tour of the food pantry and was so impressed with the operation.

"This neighborhood is kind of burgeoning now," Spaulding says, mentioning Lola's and the Northside Lounge. "Then you've got this amazing food pantry that serves so many people in the community, I couldn't help to think that this would be a great cause to partner with."

Kavanaugh's Esquire Club opens at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday, and opens at 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

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