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Million Dollar Party: A Restaurant Memoir
Million Dollar A Restaurant Memoir by Robert Mark Ihrig and Susan Jean Butherus Ihrig
Million Dollar Party is the story of our lives,and the drama surrounding our restaurant and bar. We spent years engrossed inlaying the groundwork, which led to our ambition getting off the ground. We opened Bob's Gridiron Grille and the Pigskin Pub in Lincoln, Nebraska, known worldwide as Cornhusker country. Totally convinced my one-of-a-kind collection of Nebraska football memorabilia would be a draw, I was dead wrong.
This is not a how-to-book. How could it be? We failed. We're not qualified to tell anybody anything, other than what we experienced. This memoir delves into the why, the wherefore, and the what. Why did I want a restaurant? What did we do to plan for our venture, and what exactly happened? Nothing turned out the way we designed; instead, our dream turned into something out of a horror story.
I should have listened to Susan, who was supportive, though skeptical. More than once, she pointed out, "A restaurant involves hard work, long hours, employee problems, customer complaints, health inspections, and government regulations," but I didn't hear her. I understand now, but I was too busy doing what I wanted to do. I had it all calculated, determined the place would be a destination spot, but things got mucked up along the way.
In telling this cautionary tale, our intent is not to rain on anyone's parade, only to point out a few obstacles. If you are not prepared to enter this competitive and extremely over-saturated market, then what we've written will prove worthwhile. I wish I'd had a book like this in my hands before we started. If I had, maybe we would have done things differently, or perhaps not at all.
Once I was told by a man I greatly respected, "A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others." Our sincere hope is what we have shared serves a purpose. We welcome you inside our old establishment, opening the doors one final time.
Million Dollar Party is the story of our lives,and the drama surrounding our restaurant and bar. We spent years engrossed inlaying the groundwork, which led to our ambition getting off the ground. We opened Bob's Gridiron Grille and the Pigskin Pub in Lincoln, Nebraska, known worldwide as Cornhusker country. Totally convinced my one-of-a-kind collection of Nebraska football memorabilia would be a draw, I was dead wrong.
This is not a how-to-book. How could it be? We failed. We're not qualified to tell anybody anything, other than what we experienced. This memoir delves into the why, the wherefore, and the what. Why did I want a restaurant? What did we do to plan for our venture, and what exactly happened? Nothing turned out the way we designed; instead, our dream turned into something out of a horror story.
I should have listened to Susan, who was supportive, though skeptical. More than once, she pointed out, "A restaurant involves hard work, long hours, employee problems, customer complaints, health inspections, and government regulations," but I didn't hear her. I understand now, but I was too busy doing what I wanted to do. I had it all calculated, determined the place would be a destination spot, but things got mucked up along the way.
In telling this cautionary tale, our intent is not to rain on anyone's parade, only to point out a few obstacles. If you are not prepared to enter this competitive and extremely over-saturated market, then what we've written will prove worthwhile. I wish I'd had a book like this in my hands before we started. If I had, maybe we would have done things differently, or perhaps not at all.
Once I was told by a man I greatly respected, "A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others." Our sincere hope is what we have shared serves a purpose. We welcome you inside our old establishment, opening the doors one final time.
322 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2018
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 30, 2018
This book has a lot of good information in it. I'm just not sure it is for everyone. Unless you plan to open a restaurant or bar. A lot of dos and don'ts in the bar business.
A lot of the book is about family and football. Nebraska Cornhusker's football.
My take was if you do open a bar. Don't put too much on your credit card in the beginning.
If I was going to open a bar, I would just put up a neon sign and maybe a pool table then just start selling cold beer.
On the other hand Bob went all out, with live bands and a Karaoke machine. Bouncers and even some kind of French marble tile in the bathrooms. These extra expenses ended up being his downfall.
I think they should have spent the first few years establishing a customer base before they went all in with all the bells and whistles. Just one guys opinion...TJ
A lot of the book is about family and football. Nebraska Cornhusker's football.
My take was if you do open a bar. Don't put too much on your credit card in the beginning.
If I was going to open a bar, I would just put up a neon sign and maybe a pool table then just start selling cold beer.
On the other hand Bob went all out, with live bands and a Karaoke machine. Bouncers and even some kind of French marble tile in the bathrooms. These extra expenses ended up being his downfall.
I think they should have spent the first few years establishing a customer base before they went all in with all the bells and whistles. Just one guys opinion...TJ
June 24, 2020
Million Dollar Party by Robert Ihrig is as a tale of Odysseus, an autobiographical tale of a couple chasing their dreams across the Midwest in a heartfelt narrative. Robert Ihrig is a high school athlete with a love of rock and roll who marries his sweetheart Susan and embarks on a pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. Liberty comes in the form of owning their own businesses, from a pottery store to a merchandise shop to a restaurant. The author's vision and ambition helps him overcome daunting obstacles, turning their eatery into a wildly popular live music venue. Only petty-minded bureaucrats and bloodsucking investors create burdens that the spirited couple are unable to overcome. Yet their never-say-die attitude touches many lives and hearts --- including the reading audience.
The theme of optimism resonates throughout the story as the author finds his way past seemingly insurmountable obstacles to reach the next level. Obstinate customers, wild concert nights, greedy ASCAP vultures, slimeball Government agents and the local police are just some of those who make the morning after seem as an enduring nightmare. Yet the Ihrigs sally forth, to the joy of their employees, loyal customers and local bands. For readers looking for an inspiring tale of entrepreneurship and authentic Americana, Million Dollar Party by Robert Ihrig is one you won't want to miss.
The theme of optimism resonates throughout the story as the author finds his way past seemingly insurmountable obstacles to reach the next level. Obstinate customers, wild concert nights, greedy ASCAP vultures, slimeball Government agents and the local police are just some of those who make the morning after seem as an enduring nightmare. Yet the Ihrigs sally forth, to the joy of their employees, loyal customers and local bands. For readers looking for an inspiring tale of entrepreneurship and authentic Americana, Million Dollar Party by Robert Ihrig is one you won't want to miss.
January 25, 2026
This is the story about a failed American dream. Starts with the day the author had to close his dream business, unsuccessful. Then it flies through his childhood, all of the things he and his wife did in there lives and some very hard years owning a restaurant. With a major emphasis on husker football. I found the section on his childhood so fascinating and engrossing. As someone who was born in 97 it felt really amazing to read about a childhood in a different era. And the early years of him and his wife’s life. I was say the entire middle part of the book is his love for Nebraska football and all the famous Nebraskans he met along the way. If you love husker football that will be very interesting to you. The last section is the life of a business owner in the early 2000’s and all of the things that went wrong. My parents also owned a bar/restaurant in the early 2000’s it was like reading a memoir of my parents it was so similar. So if you ever feel like you are the only person in the world failing this book might give you some perspective. I thought it was a great book about a real person with real Nebraska history. But it really did drag on at times and made me want to skim. It really depends on if those topics interest you or not.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews