Frazier, founder and owner of Speakeasy Enterprises, serves as the director of growth initiatives at the Entrepreneurs’ Center during the day and during the remaining minutes and hours she has available, owns and runs some of the best local restaurants in town. Springfield’s Speakeasy Ramen opened in May of 2019 and quickly became a fan favorite despite being off the beaten path. Frazier opened her second restaurant, Speakeasy Miso, last April in Troy.
She is now adding lucky No. 3 to the roster with the purchase of 571 Grill & Draft House in New Carlisle through her Speakeasy Enterprises restaurant group which closed the deal on Dec. 10.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED/ALEXIS LARSEN
Credit: CONTRIBUTED/ALEXIS LARSEN
The restaurant, located on Ohio 571 just outside of New Carlisle, was founded by Tim and Brandy Juday. It is known for an extensive craft beer offering, well executed menu and loyal following thanks to 20 successful years in business. Earlier this year the Judays announced they were planning to retire and put the restaurant on the market.
Frazier said the acquisition is an opportunity to grow the Speakeasy brand, delivering great food and great service in a casual environment.
Her story of owning and managing successful restaurants was firmly rooted early on in her life.
“I have always worked in the food industry: in high school, in college, in graduate school, and even when I started my professional career in Washington, D.C. — I had a day job, but I still worked at restaurants at night. People who catch the restaurant bug understand this. You can be solving the world’s biggest problems professionally, but you still love to make or serve or just eat good food. When I moved back from D.C. in the late 1990s, I started working at the Winds. That place was such a foundation for culinary experiences, and in its day, it spun out more restaurants and chefs and servers and bartenders than any other place I know in the 937, and I am proud that I am part of that too,” said Frazier.
“My own culinary background stems from travel and experience. I did a lot of international travel in my early professional career, and I was always fascinated how food and culture are different and yet the same. Empanadas, perogies, samosas, and gyoza come from very different places with distinct subtleties, for example, and yet they all have a common core. And I think this speaks to the bigger picture: we all love delicious, homemade food, regardless of its cultural origin ... it’s the universal language. We can be divided around millions of cultural or economic or political issues, but good food transcends all of that. It always has, and it always will,” she said.
It’s this delicious homemade food and warm, responsive service that drew her to this latest restaurant acquisition.
“(This restaurant) checks all the boxes for me: good food, good service, constantly changing and innovating based on products, trends, and customers in a casual environment. I’m not interested in a special occasion restaurant, where people go for their birthday or anniversary. I like restaurants that people want to go to on a weeknight, after a bad day, for a celebration, or for whatever else,” said Frazier.
I have come to expect big things from this dreamer. Her flagship restaurant, Speakeasy Ramen in southeast Springfield is located in a neighborhood that probably hadn’t seen investment in 50 years. Frazier purchased an old tavern, built a kitchen inside, and started serving food that was unproven in this market and especially in Springfield.
It was called “Speakeasy” in part because she couldn’t afford a sign for it at the time it opened. Her small but mighty restaurant team served ramen out of a building that said ‘Nifty 50s’ out front. The food was some of the best new offerings that our region had seen in a very long time and the restaurant quickly built a rabid following of fans including myself.
In the years since opening, the five-star dive bar received well-deserved national attention for its incredible food and in short order the next project for Frazier to throw herself into revealed itself.
“One of our customers at Speakeasy Ramen was Sam O’Neal, who owns the former Masonic temple in downtown Troy. He literally asked me one day, ‘would you consider putting a ramen shop in Troy in my empty building?’ With that, I visited that space and the next concept was born. It’s not the dive bar, as everything there is new and shiny, including the kitchen. It can accommodate big parties, too, which is something that is mostly impossible in the small dive bar in Springfield,” said Frazier.
“The acquisition of 571 Grill puts us in the middle geographically and in its environment too. It’s not new and shiny, but it’s no dive bar either. It’s got a comfortable vibe, and the food is made fresh in-house. To me, that’s what makes the locally owned places stand out from the heat and serve chain restaurants. So it’s not ‘just’ beer or ‘just burgers,’ but a carefully crafted menu, created and executed in-house. I love that,” she said.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED/ALEXIS LARSEN
Credit: CONTRIBUTED/ALEXIS LARSEN
The 571 menu will remain the same with seasonal specials will be on regular rotation. The taps will continue to feature craft beers. By keeping it local with nominal changes Frazier hoped to build on what the Judays have created.
“Tim and Brandy have done such a great job of responding to their customers and delivering great experiences for their customers. There’s a good reason that it’s always busy over there. We want to continue what they have built, so customers can count on great experiences in the future,” said Frazier.
Speakeasy Enterprises’ operations director Carly Hensley will lead the team at 571 Grill with a large number of employees staying on for what I’m sure will be Frazier’s next successful venture.
It’s been so fun being able to cheer Frazier and her talented team on over the years. From the initial location in Springfield with decor and a menu which required a huge leap of faith at the time, Frazier has always done a terrific job with blazing her own trails in the local dining scene and cheering her staff on at every turn.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
“I love nothing more than seeing the staff come up with creative ideas and execute them, and I love love love to see staff grow and change, even if they have to leave us while they do it.” said Frazier. “One young man who started with us in the kitchen at Speakeasy Ramen went to Nashville and got some great experience at a premier restaurant. He came back ready to try out new things, and it’s his birria ramen that is now a special on Thursdays.
“If I can enable people to find their own culinary voices, so to speak, I have accomplished something. I also love to nurture talent. We’ve had people leave us for greater opportunities, and that makes me proud too,” she said.
That generous spirit that she conveys is so real. Frazier is truly as wonderful in person as the meaningful and touching sentiments that her quotes convey.
Her long term goal is every bit as lofty as a good entrepreneurs should be: to build a brand of restaurants that all patrons know will offer good food and good service. She says she is currently exploring an idea for a fourth concept saying the goal is ultimately to have five or six restaurants in the Speakeasy Enterprises group. She never has been one to sit still and this lofty goal will ensure she never will.
With her unwavering, tenacious passion and laser focus there’s no doubt that Frazier will make this happen sooner than later and whatever concept it ends up being that it will more than satisfy.
HOW TO GO
What: 571 Grill & Draft House
Where: 12389 Milton-Carlisle Rd., New Carlisle
More: 937-845-0089 or https://571grill.com
The burgers at 571 Grill & Draft House
This is a place to go grab a good burger and a cold beer. The half-pound two-handed burgers are stacked and packed with ingredients. The smooth, buttery patties are a blend of chuck, short rib and brisket cooked with a slightly pink center and served on a brioche bun. They have a classic cheeseburger, a bacon cheeseburger and a turkey burger, but the house specialties are when it gets interesting. The flagship burger is the Haystack ($16) featuring applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickle, onion, jalapenos, onion straws and 571 sauce. Add an egg to make it a Henhouse for a dollar more. The Vampire Slayer ($14) served on thick pieces of grilled garlic toast is topped with caramelized sauteed onions and mushrooms and house garlic aioli. The Mac Daddy ($16) is heaped with smoked gouda mac and cheese, additional cheddar cheese, crisscrossed with applewood smoked bacon and then slathered with BBQ sauce. The glazed donut bacon cheeseburger is just as billed. Grilled glazed ooey, gooey donut plus their blended burger topped with applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda cheese and 571 sauce ($14) is a savory sugary dream. Definitely some of the most creative burgers you can find locally.
Speakeasy Ramen news
A gorgeous mosaic at Speakeasy Ramen across the bar front that Kim Frazier has been working on since 2020 with Speakeasy GM Brittany Walters was recently unveiled. It’s a beautiful labor of love that conveys her passion for everything she touches. Specials during the week include sushi specials on Wednesdays, a birria ramen special on Thursdays, and an upcoming New Year’s Eve tasting menu. The big headline is they are about to close in their front patio area to offer up additional seating during the colder months. Speakeasy Miso in Troy is now offering lunch specials, half price sushi on Tuesdays and brunch on Sundays.
About the Author