The Irishman’s Shanty has been a part of Crookston since 1945 and a place many have gone for food, drinks, and celebration. During that time, it has gone through many different owners, and the Shanty is currently in the works of having a new one.
The Shanty has been owned by the Gregg family since 1979, with the current owner Paul Gregg, taking ownership of it in 1984, but after 38 years, Paul is ready to pass the ownership and role of the head chef on to his youngest son, Andy Gregg. “I think it’s time for some new blood, and Andy has some new ideas, and already I see him posting a lot more on the website and Facebook, and he has a lot of good ideas as far as making dishes from scratch,” Irishman’s Shanty owner Paul Gregg explained. “Like mashed potatoes and his own alfredo sauce, he has a lot of good ideas, and I think our customers will be open to that. It’s nice when you get somebody young and new in here, and it’s good for the town with a family member coming back in town.”
Before taking the role from his father, Andy worked in criminal justice for six years in Fargo. He had grown up with a love of cooking and decided to return to Crookston to take the position, as the thought of cooking in the Shanty was always a thought in his mind.
This doesn’t mean Paul is officially leaving the Shanty as the head chef however, as he still plans to cook for most of the morning shift and help the restaurant in any way he can, while Andy covers the shifts during the night. Both have declared that currently, the restaurant is working more like a co-ownership instead of there being a sole owner. “I don’t like to be here at 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. at night, that’s past my bedtime. I like the morning shift and I’m at the point in my life where I don’t have to set an alarm clock like most people my age. I’m at the point where I like to cover morning breakfast and lunches and if work a 30- or 40-hour week, it just depends on what’s going on,” said Paul. “It works out pretty well as I’m more of a night owl, so I prefer to handle the night crowd. So, when it’s late on Friday night that’s my thing and I like it when it’s super busy and when it keeps the rush going. But I’m not a huge fan on the big mornings so I want to keep this guy (Paul) around as long as possible,” Andy Gregg explained.
While the Greggs have not confirmed a date as to when the transition of full ownership will happen, Paul noted that the transition will be seamless for the customers, and they will see improvements done to the restaurant in the future in a variety of ways. “I’m not going to give any spoilers, but keep following the Facebook page, because I like to post things and keep people updated. But some things are that, when I was in the Fargo area, I liked a lot of the different tap beers there, so I’m introducing some of the areas that had my favorite taps,” Andy Gregg explained. “A new one would be from the Drekker area or maybe get some other ones around the area like Duluth. We have a small tap list but let’s make it better.” Gregg also hinted that the restaurant may do some remodeling in the future but said to follow the Shanty’s Facebook page to stay up to date on all of the news happening within it at www.facebook.com/homeoftheshantyburger/.
A picture of both Paul and Andy Gregg can be seen below-
