The owners of Brothers Group Restaurants, Derek and Brett Leach, own not one, not two, but four prominent restaurants in the Bemidji area. Their commitment to the food business began after the purchase of Bar 209 back in 2011. But before they were restaurant owners, Derek Leach said he started in a place that is no longer in Bemidji.

“It started with a place that is no longer here called Union Station, back when I was 13 as a dishwasher and a little bit of prep work,” Derek Leach said.

“I started hosting and busing tables at Union Station when I think I was probably 11 or 12 years old at the time,” said Brett Leach.

Now, the Leach brothers are owners of multiple restaurants in the area. Over the course of 9 years, the brothers purchased two existing restaurants, Bar 209 and the Cabin Coffee House, re-creating the concept of these establishments to fit their own vision. And they opened two of their own: Red Stu Breakfast Bar and the Turtle River Chophouse. The brothers saw a need for higher quality food and casual fine dining in Bemidji.

“We wanted to back it up with really great food, but still have it in an atmosphere where you were relaxed and you had fun and you could still enjoy yourself, but really have a higher level of food,” said Brett.

Each of their restaurants has a specific type of ambience and atmosphere that is curated by the culture and the people who work and manage it.

“The people who are the managers are typically partners with us, and the personality that they have really is reflective in the businesses,” said Derek.

And each of the restaurants owned by the Leach brothers has a distinctive theme.

“Every one of them has its own personality and attitude, and we tried to portray that in everything we do and like, how we treat our guests when we come through the door,” said Brett.

Brett says each restaurant has a specific atmosphere. Bar 209 is energetic, while Chophouse is more elevated fine dining. Red Stu is creative, and Cabin Coffee House is warm and inviting.

“I think you kind of set little goals along the way, and you take little components and that builds into the major vision. And I think even when we opened [Red Stu], it’s still different than what we initially set out [to do],” added Brett.

By — Malaak Khattab

News Reporter