Tim talks about the impending closing of Finnigan’s Wake and what the restaurant/bar means to this city, the community, THIS PODCAST, and to him personally. No crowd noise. No background music. Just the intro/outro and Tim.
Slàinte mhath, Finnigan’s Wake.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This is a reprint of the Winston-Salem Journal article, it is not mine, I don’t own it. Michael is my cohost and he wrote it for the Journal. Here is the original article. I just wanted the copyright issue out of the way.
Finnigan’s Wake, a mainstay bar and restaurant downtown for 15 years, has announced it will close permanently on Oct. 30.
Owner Philip “Opie” Kirby” posted an announcement on the business’ Facebook page on Monday.
“It’s been an amazing 15 years. One-third of my life has been in this space that you helped create. People make the place and we’ve been blessed with the best staff and customers. Y’all have always stepped up and made our events, fundraisers, and community outreach your own. Your generosity has multiplied over the years to make Winston Salem a better place to live.”
Finnigan’s Wake, 620 Trade St., was one of the first restaurants in the Downtown Arts District, opening in 2006. It celebrated its 15th anniversary on Oct. 6.
Like many restaurants this year, Finnigan’s Wake had reduced its hours — in particular eliminating Sunday brunch — as a result of the labor shortage that has affected many industries during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kirby said in an email that the decision to close was not related to the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve stayed steady thanks to our amazing community,” he said.
Instead, Kirby, 47, said he personally was ready for a change. “It’s time for me to do something different after this many years in the business. Looking for a new adventure,” he said.
Finnigan’s Wake was known for its big St. Patrick’s Day parties, as well its annual fundraisers for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, in which hundreds of people would get their heads shaved outside the restaurant to help raise money for pediatric cancer research. This fall’s fundraiser raised $50,000.
But, perhaps most of all, Finnigan’s was known for its unassuming owner, who always had a smile for everyone and was known for posting positive, supportive sayings on social media.
Some of his Facebook messages include:
“Don’t fill the space with the first person who fits. Fill the space with the right person who fits.”
“You have more bounce to the ounce. Don’t ever forget it!”
“Gratitude is good.”
His most recent one, on Saturday: “Walk your path.”
Kirby said he didn’t quite know what his future path will be. But he definitely wants to do some volunteering.
I have taken the #TakeOutPledgeWS and pledge to support local businesses. Some are only doing downtown but I think all businesses in WSNC need some push. Here’s a video to explain more.
Take the pledge with me!
According to the Broad Branch Distillery Facebook page: 
An exciting announcement — Winston Salem FINALLY has its own bourbon arriving next week! We can’t wait to introduce you to Big Winston Bourbon.
This initial release is a 4-year single barrel low rye straight bourbon coming in at 85 proof. It boasts a great balance of spicy and sweet, with notes of tea, vanilla, tart cherries, baking spices, and pistachios.
For the time being, bottles will ONLY be available for purchase at the distillery starting on Saturday, January 23. The first 100 commemorative bottles – each one signed by Broad Branch owner John Fragakis – will be available for sale on our website starting Jan 18 (Monday) with curbside pickup beginning that same day at noon.
Mark your calendars to come to grab a bottle in person on Saturday the 23rd or grab a signed bottle online on the 18th.
This barrel WILL sell out fast.
We will have Daniel Spivey, the Head of Brand Development with Broad Branch Distillery this coming Monday. Tune in to hear more!
Things are happening in this city, food and otherwise, at breakneck speed. It’s really hard to cover it all. We do the podcast once a week and with that, we’re taking the next two off from recording.
Let me cover some stuff.
Bar La Ch.ngada had mentioned they were going to partner with Xcaret (which is owned by the same folks) to offer food options. Then the Governor’s orders came through and they decided to pull back on that. Then, they announced, again, that they were back on! So, they’re back on! New hours will be Tuesday-Saturday 4p-10p and Sundays 1030a-9p. They are closed on Sundays. These hours effective Thursday, December 17.
Local 27101/Artisan has officially changed their name and logo to Local Artisan. We had Greg Carlisle on the podcast a few weeks back for him to announce this and yesterday they unveiled the new logo. I like it. It’s simple, sleek, and easy to read. If you haven’t had this restaurant in a while, it’s still as good as it ever was (better, even) and whether you’re doing the lunch (27101) thing or the dinner (Artisan) thing, you’ll love it. Congrats, Greg, on the rebranding!
Arigato Japanese Steakhouse and Seafood has announced that it will take takeout orders up until 9p in GSO but their WSNC location isn’t doing takeout just yet. They are also selling gift certs/cards on their website but that website is currently (1030a on Wednesday) being repaired.
La Carreta on Robinhood has implemented QR codes for menus. I think this is great. I like that other restaurants have basically laminated a large QR code and put them on the table and people don’t have to handle grody menus. I will admit, though, that I have some trouble reading them, even on my Samsung S10+. But, I’m willing to take that inconvenience, especially in these times, with keeping both Stephanie and me and other folks safe. Good job, La Carreta (and other establishments doing this).
This one hurts. Social. Southern Kitchen is closing for good. This place was great. Granted I only ate there twice, once for my “Summer of Burgers Tour 2019” and another just for appetizers, but the folks were great, the food delicious, the atmosphere perfect. It was just all-around great. Now, why didn’t I eat there more? It takes me around 20-30 minutes to get there from my house. That’s an hour round trip and if we have any alcohol at all, we don’t want to have to drive that and Uber is way too expensive that far away. So, it was special occasions that got me out there.
Here is what the public announcement said:
Thanks for reading my The Man Who Ate the Town Minute (or Two).
Bar La Ch.ngada posted this on their Facebook page:
