Business: Tap In Pub
Address: 2155 CityGate Lane, Naperville
Phone/website: 331-457-5798; www.tapinpub.com
Restaurant manager: Jefferson Zotamba, 30, of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood; Vice president of operations for CityGate Hospitality: Brandon Sheldon, 39, of Oswego
Years in business: 11
What does your business do? “It’s not your typical bar or pub. We’ll start off with the food. The food makes us different because a lot of it is hand-crafted. It’s not frozen. … If you have good food, people come back. That and the service. We try to make it friendly,” Zotamba said.
What sets you apart? “We are your neighborhood, go-to place to be. We’re here for everybody, whether it’s someone coming in for a drink or the family wants to have a bite. We have a little bit of everything to offer,” Sheldon said.
Is this location good for business? “It’s a little hit and miss. We depend a lot on the hotel, but it’s good to see a lot of the same people coming in,” Zotamba said.
“We’re on a busy corner, which is always great. … Our hope is they remember us and stop by next time they’re in the area,” Sheldon said.
What’s new? “Since Jefferson was here, a group of teachers came in for a retirement party. They come back now every week. He now puts out a small free buffet. It’s open for any teacher, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Fridays,” Sheldon said.
“They were coming in, so I thought, ‘Might as well.’ Get them in here. It’s the weekend. Why not?” Zotamba said.
When are you busy? “Wednesdays with trivia is busy. It starts at 7. Go 4 It Entertainment runs the trivia,” Zotamba said.
“Any day for lunch,” Sheldon said.
What’s with the two golf simulators? “It’s always been a part of Tap In Pub. We have clubs here. A lot of people bring their own clubs. Have a good time,” Sheldon said.
When are you open? “Monday through Thursday, 11 to 10, Friday, 11 to 11, and Saturday 12 to 11. We’re closed on Sundays,” Zotamba said.
How long have you worked here? “Eight months, I’d been working in Chicago. Kitchen manager, chef, all that stuff. I wanted to do the front of the house. Interacting with the guests,” Zotamba said. “It’s been good. It’s been fun.”
“He’s made a real positive impact,” Sheldon said. “When you walk in the door, there’s a smiling face to see you. And you know the restaurant will be clean. That’s huge. … People are coming here because Jefferson’s here. Teachers are coming here because Jefferson’s here.”
What should we order here? “A lot of them are my favorites, but for sure the burgers,” Zotamba said. “They’re really good. My favorite is the boneless wings. Not the typical frozen wings.”
“I’m originally from Buffalo and I’ll tell you the chicken wings we serve here, I’d be proud to serve them back in Buffalo. I told him, ‘Jefferson, you’ve got to highlight these,’” Sheldon said.
Do you miss the snow in Buffalo? “No,” Sheldon said.
What do you like best about your job? “Hospitality. … We do this at the end of the day for the people,” Sheldon said.
“It’s a joy to be with them. They may come in on a bad day and leave happy,” Zotamba said.
What misconceptions may people have? “They don’t know what to expect,” Zotamba said.
What challenges do you face? “Letting people know that we’re here. When they do try us out, it’s good to see them come back again,” Zotamba said.
Do you deliver? “We do not. We use DoorDash. People can order online too. One woman came with a wagon, left with 12 meals,” Sheldon said.
Any future plans? “For the holidays, we make the restaurant all Christmassy,” Zotamba said.
“It needs to be over the top,” Sheldon said. “It almost becomes a holiday pop-up. Not just décor. Food. Drinks. … It will be ready to go prior to Thanksgiving.”
Any favorite memories? “We host artist markets throughout the summer. The first one we did in May, we had 105 vendors out there. … It was my version of DoorDash. We fed probably 40 of them. It was fun,” Sheldon said.
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Just enjoy it,” Zotamba said. “Have fun with it. There’s going to be good days, bad days. Just keep pushing forward.”
“You need to understand what excellence looks like to you,” Sheldon said. “How do you define excellence? Because without excellence, it’s really hard to survive.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.