BROOKINGS The torch has been passed to a new generation, and a Brookings landmark remains in local hands as it approaches its second century. Since 1929, Nicks Hamburger Shop has been the burger mecca of South Dakota and on July 10, longtime owner Todd Fergen sold the hamburger haven to local restaurateur Justin Price.
I was going to retire at 64 next year anyways, so this kind of moved it up, Fergen said. Ill be with Justin for a couple more months. I told him Im on hand. Justin and his family have some roots here, some other businesses, and that was a great matchup for me to assure the community that its going into good hands.
Although he owns other restaurants in town, Price said hell be personally devoting his time to running Nicks.
I have managers at other places, he said. (The other restaurants) have regulars, but theyre not die-hards. They dont wear T-shirts into the place. They dont expect you to remember their order exactly to a tee the way it should be. Expectations are high.
Fergen said he has faith in Price.
He started, and we went through Fourth of July and the arts festival, Fergen said. The next week, the governor comes in with 15 people and security. So hes getting an eyeful already.
Gov. Larry Rhodenvisited Nicks on July 15 during his Open for Opportunity tour of Brookings, Madison and Volga. Price said the hectic pace has helped him learn the ropes.
I was getting the full loop within a week, he said. You know (Fergen) told me, youll have to meet these people pro football players, this senator, that senator. Then three days later, its all here.
Secret to success
Fergen said the key to Nicks popularity is consistency.
Keep it the same, he said. Simplicity has kept that place alive for years. We can focus on one product and one great burger. Thats what the people walk in the door for, so thats what we have. It stays unchanged.
Price agreed wholeheartedly.
Were not doing any changes, he said. Its the customers who expect it to be that way. You dont want to let them down.
He said being able to purchase Nicks was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Its Nicks it is a landmark place, he said. We have customers who are 103 years old. Thats longer than the place has been open. I used to go with my grandma when I was a little kid. Its nostalgia, you know? Really thats what it is. Its one of those places where each operator has kept it the same for that long. You dont see that very much.
Legacy of proprietors
Fergen said when he decided to sell, he confided in local realtor David Kneip.
We were looking for somebody vested somebody whos got some roots here and David mentioned to me, well I think I have somebody, Fergen said. He told me who it was. He quoted Justin as saying he knew he had other restaurants (in Brookings), but he wanted the crown jewel. That really caught my ear. Then I knew we were on the right path.
In almost a century, Nicks has only had a handful of owners. Gladys and Harold Niklason founded the restaurant in 1929. Harold Niklason, Jr. took over for his parents in 1947, manning the grill until employee Duane Larson purchased the shop in 1975. Larson sold the shop to Dick Fergen Todd Fergens father in 2004.
My dad came back to Brookings when he was 60, Fergen said. He had in mind he was going to go into business with one of the longstanding businesses here. The one that he wanted the most was Nicks.
Dick Fergen remodeled the shop in 2008, doubling its size. He also bought the lot next door and converted it into a picnic area. In 2011, he was named South Dakota Retailer of the Year. He passed away in 2013, and his son Todd Fergen took over.
Ive been there for 12 years, Fergen said. When dad passed, I came into this pretty fresh and inexperienced in this field. Ive been trying to catch up for 12 years.
A face behind the grill
Fergen said Price is proving to be a quick study.
Hes learning well and putting his time in, Fergen said. One thing Ive been expressing to him theres got to be a face down there at Nicks. They look for it.
Price said hes happy to be the face behind the grill and loves meeting the steady stream of regulars.
It makes it more fun, he said. Youre not stuck in a closed kitchen. You get to see the people, you get to see the product, you get to hear the feedback and usually the feedbacks good.
Price especially loves the stories customers tell.
You learn a lot more about Brookings being at Nicks than you do anywhere else, Price said. I mean you hear stories. Just crazy things that you would never expect, and somehow at Nicks you just hear it. Oh yeah, this and this happened. Theres a lot of nostalgia at that place for a lot of people.
Price said those stories are an essential part of Nicks appeal.
Nicks is Brookings, he said. Its unique. A guy said it to me the other day, he says, you could make 100 Nicks, but the problem is it wouldnt have the stories. You can make any new restaurant diner-style or whatever, but it wouldnt have that same approach.
Continuing the tradition
Price started his restaurant career in 2017. Now age 31, he hopes to spend many decades behind the grill learning, listening and loving his tenure at a Brookings tradition.
Ive got either 35 years or 50 years thats kind of my gauge right now, he laughed. I think it always takes three months just to figure out the base line. Youre not going to know everything. I mean I still call other people that I bought (restaurants) from. You still need that legacy. You never want something to just be, we bought it see you! That doesnt work.
Fergen said tradition is essential to Nicks.
Everybody wants to be a part of Nicks, he said. If theyve got any event coming in town whether that be a family reunion, a class reunion, a wedding, a funeral they all come down to Nicks. That seems to be the gathering place and the social talk about town. People like to look over, see somebody they know, say hi and start up a conversation even clear across the counter.
Price said he cherishes that legacy and looks forward to being a faithful steward of Brookings hometown hamburger heritage as Nicks approaches its upcoming centennial.
I mean 97 years, Price said. Theres not a lot of places left that have lasted that long.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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