A Madison restaurateur wants to pioneer the antithesis of the drive-in restaurant. Chris Berge, co-owner of Restaurant Magnus, the Weary Traveler and Natt Spil and cofounder of Barriques and the Blue Marlin, plans to build a bike-path-bound cafe on the city’s Near West Side that would be inaccessible by car, serve local food, produce zero garbage and cater to the city’s burgeoning bicycle population. Described as “a hobbit hole meets the American Players Theatre meets a 1950s National Park recreational area,” the “Badger Den” would be a “bike-in” bar and grill open from April through October. Food would be served on plastic or ceramic dishes at seating made from tree trunks. Coffee and juice would be dispensed in purchasable mugs that would fit in a bike holder. And to capture the zeitgeist of the Wisconsin north woods, beer and wine would also be on the menu. “I want everything to have the logic of tap beer,” Berge said. “Bring in a bulk product that’s made locally and entire contents are taken away in a person’s stomach.”
Chris Berge is Dahlia’s friend Carina’s uncle! (Carina’s dad, Bowe Berge, is his partner and will be involved in this venture as well.)
