Friends keep Port restaurant cooking for 30 years

Beanies Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Port Washington will celebrate its 30th anniversary next month.

“It’s gone by too fast. It doesn’t feel like it’s been 30 years,” co-owner Marcia Endicott said as she stool alongside her business partner Joanie Nigrelli.

The women opened the restaurant at 102 E. Grand Ave. on Fish Day in 1989 when it was called Beanies Subs and Stuff.  

“We didn’t have a lot of equipment. On our first day, we were cooking ground beef on a three-legged electric fryer,” Nigrelli said.

At the time, the restaurant occupied a small storefront. In 2002, the women expanded into tavern next door and changed the name as the restaurant transitioned to  primarily Mexican cuisine.

“At the time, I thought we were crazy, but it was a good move,” Nigrelli said. “In my opinion, I think it was good for Port Washington because we invested a lot.”

The women met through a Christian women’s organization 35 years ago and quickly became best friends. They said their faith has helped them manage the restaurant.

“During hard times, we pray together for our employees,” Nigrelli said.

Last year, Beanies experienced tragedy when its general manager, Jon Neitzke, 41, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Aug. 14. At the time, Endicott and Nigrelli were transferring ownership of the business to Neitzke.

“We’re still recovering from that emotionally,” Endicott said.

Nigrelli agreed.

“He was like a son to both of us and we loved him. Jon was like a big brother to our staff, and they dubbed him Papa Jon. It was so bad, we had to have a grief counselor here after he passed,” Nigrelli said, adding that Neitzke’s nephew and niece still work at Beanies.  

Before the women bought the restaurant, Endicott’s daughter Christa was a waitress at the eatery in the Beanies’ space.

One fateful Friday night, Christa fell ill and called her father Skip and sister Keely to help serve because no other waiters were available.

“It ended up being very busy all night, and by the end of it they really liked the experience. When they got home Skip said, ‘Why don’t we buy the restaurant?’” Endicott said.  

The next day, Endicott called Nigrelli as a joke to tell her they were starting a restaurant. Nigrelli’s former husband used to own Pepi’s Italian Pizza on the south side of Milwaukee.

“I told her, ‘How hard could it be? We know how to cook and clean,’” Endicott said, adding Nigrelli thought the idea was crazy, but she eventually signed on.

They decided to transition from a sub shop to a Mexican restaurant because most of the cooks were Mexican.

“They were very talented and kept bringing in new recipes,” Endicott said.

Endicott and her husband used to visit Mexico every year and learned behind-the-scenes secrets about cooking Mexican food.

“They would take me into their kitchen. They couldn’t speak English and I didn’t know Spanish, but I would figure out what they were doing and take the recipes back home,” Endicott said.   

Starting out, the partners had their duties clearly delineated: Endicott worked the kitchen and Nigrelli handled customers.

“I hate cooking, and I don’t know how to cook,” Nigrelli said. “Marcia would always tell me to back away from the kitchen. I would just stand around, smile and make it look like I was doing something.”

Over the last 10 years, Endicott and Nigrelli have scaled back their duties. Nigrelli now lives in Pewaukee to be closer to her grandchildren and Endicott spends half of the year in Florida.

They know Beanies is in good hands because their grandchildren work there. Currently, two of Nigrelli’s grandkids are waiters, and in the past all six of Endicott’s grandchildren have helped out.

“If you’re in our family, you work at Beanies,” Nigrelli said, laughing. “When you work at a restaurant, you have to be able to call on your family if there’s ever a crisis.”

Endicott’s grandson Isaac Welton, who will be a junior at Port Washington High School next school year, started work last week and said it’s a blessing to be part of a family restaurant.

Nigrelli’s 13-year-old grandson, Levi Schaefer, said he doesn’t mind the long commute from Pewaukee because the restaurant is “very lively.”

Endicott and Nigrelli said they want to remain owners for the time being but hope the restaurant’s current general manager, Madeline Binsfeld, will eventually take over the business.

Binsfeld began working at Beanies in high school. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she returned to Port Washington to work for the business.

“She’s shown an interest and she was Jon’s right-hand person,” Nigrelli said. “We don’t want her to do it too quickly because it’s a big responsibility and she’s a young woman.”

Endicott added that Binsfeld has five relatives who work at Beanies.  

“It’s always been a family place,” Nigrelli said.

The partners credit their friendship for allowing them to stay in business this long.

“We think alike, but we’re very opposite in many ways, and that’s why this has worked,” Endicott said.

Nigrelli agreed.

“I think after 30 years, it’s amazing that we’re still friends,” Nigrelli said. “Marcia is a shaker and a mover, and I shake when I move.”

They also said they wouldn’t be in business if it wasn’t for their staff and customers.

“We couldn’t have stayed in business for 30 years if it weren’t for the patrons,” Nigrelli said. “We’re really grateful for the people who work for us and the customers who have been coming here all these years.”