IDK opens in Jamestown

IDK is a new bar and grill located at 1009 13th St. N.E. in Jamestown.

Co-owners Mike Harris and Casey Dodgson named it after the abbreviation for “I don’t know” that young people use in instant messaging. “I don’t know” is also a response they said they get often when asking their fiancees what they want to do.

IDK opened last month and offers a smoke-free environment with a full kitchen, bar, gaming darts and billiards.

Virtually everything in the building is brand new, including doors, windows, flooring, bathrooms, TVs, bars and the stained cedar siding on the outside, Harris said.

Harris and Dodgson did all of the work themselves except for plumbing, electrical and carpeting, Harris said. The pair also owns and operates The Buff and the Buffalo Lanes in southwest Jamestown.

The pair spent nearly a year and a half to get the IDK building the way it looks now.

Wood paneling from the previous owners lines the walls of the bar, giving it the feel of a lodge, Harris said. In the past the building was also known as Victory Lane and Hill View.

IDK also has a full menu with appetizers, sandwiches, never-frozen burgers, homemade pizza, a kids’ menu and 15 different sauces for wings, Harris said.

“I’d say we have quite a bit,” he said.

After being open a little more than a month, IDK won best wings in The Sun’s Best of the Buffalo City Area readers’ poll. Dodgson credits the award to the sauce varieties.

Aside from running the IDK and doing various odd jobs around the building, Harris also spends a great deal of time in the kitchen cooking food, he said.

“I actually really enjoy it, to tell you the truth,” Harris said.

He said he prides himself on plate presentation and checks almost all of the dishes himself before sending them out.

The menu may be smaller than other bar and grills’ but having a smaller menu means Harris can perfect the items listed, Dodgson said.

Outside the IDK looks like any other wooden-sided building, it has no signs. But Harris said business has been good and word-of-mouth advertising is bringing people in to eat.

“This is a growing end of town,” Harris said of northeast Jamestown. “It’s a good opportunity for us to get into something different.”

Plans are in the works to open a sand volleyball court and horseshoe pit behind the restaurant next summer. A concrete patio is already poured.

But for now the main concern for Harris and Dodgson is keeping customers happy and growing their business, they said.

Sun reporter Ben Rodgers can be reached at 701-952-8455 or by e-mail at brodgers@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local business, business, idk, bar