NTDMG189.xml Guide to the The Brewery Records 1985-1988 Brewery (Restaurant) Records Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives ©1990 Encoded by ArchProteus2003 Finding aid is in English Overview of the Collection University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives MG189 The Brewery The Brewery Records 1985-1988 1 cubic foot Financial and legal records, menus, recipes, lists of standard restaurant supplies, and personal financial records of owner Herman Ronnenberg. English

In early 1985 Herman and Diane Ronnenberg purchased the North Idaho Cowboy Bar in Troy, Idaho, from Glen and Donna Mae Wallen. After extensive remodelling The Brewery opened as a restaurant specializing in French and Italian food. In 1986 ethnic weeks began, each week being devoted to a different ethnic food, Italian, Cajun, American steaks, or German. Each Thursday a seven course international beer banquet was offered, with foods accompanied by the appropriate beer. Outside activities of the owners left little time for running the restaurant, so in April of 1988 it was sold to Ronald and Pat Asker, owners of the land on which the restaurant was located.

The records of The Brewery span the years 1985 to 1988, and are mainly financial in nature, although some legal papers are included, as are menus, recipes, and lists of standard supplies. Also included are personal financial records of owner Herman Ronnenberg.

The material in this record group was in labeled folders when received. All financial and legal material was organized by month. Since it was decided to discard all but a sample of the invoices, the material retained was organized by type. It was decided to keep the entire file for the first and last months of operation, April 1985 and March 1988, and two arbitrarily chosen months, July 1986 and October 1987.

The types of material retained include check registers, newspaper advertising, coupons, employee wage records, insurance records, legal documents which include the agreement to purchase and the agreement to sell, remodelling expenses, the summary of monthly sales, tax related material, menus and recipes, and prep lists, which are lists of supplies kept on hand. Miscellaneous items include telephone order forms for takeout food, Guide to Idaho Labor Laws, and an Idaho Department of Law Enforcement, Alcohol Beverage Control Division, Inspection Report. The final items are personal check registers and income statements of restaurant owner Herman Ronnenberg.

Invoices for liquor, beer, wine, and food, utility bills, receipts from charge cards, employee time cards, paid checks and bank statements were discarded. In all the records were reduced by four cubic feet.

The records of The Brewery, a Troy, Idaho restaurant, were donated to the University of Idaho Library by owner Herman Ronnenberg in April 1989.

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Idaho Business, Industry, and Labor Ronnenberg, Herman W.--Archives. Brewery (Restaurant : Troy, Idaho) Restaurants -- Records -- Idaho -- Troy Detailed Description of the Collection Series I. Financial and Legal Records 1985-1988 1/1-4 Check registers 1985-1988 1124 items 1/5 Advertising and coupons 1985-1988 31 items 1/6-9 Employee wage records 1985-1988 1269 items 1/10 Financial correspondence 1985-1987 3 items 1/11 Insurance 1985-1988 40 items 1/12 Insurance: Herbert J. Simeone's unemployment claim 1986 7 items 1/13 Legal documents, agreements, fees 1985-1988 35 items 1/14 Liquor license receipts 1985-1987 11 items 1/15 Remodelling expenses 1985-1987 52 items 1/16 Summary of sales 1985-1988 30 items 1/17 Taxes, property 1985-1988 17 items 1/18 Taxes, federal 1985-1988 18 items 1/19 Taxes, state 1985-1988 19 items 1/20 Complete file April 1985 225 items 1/21 Complete file July 1986 258 items 1/22 Complete file October 1987 216 items 1/23 Complete file March 1988 181 items Series II. Menus, Recipes, etc. 1985-1988 1/24 Ethnic dinners: Cajun 1986 6 items 1/25 Ethnic dinners: Chinese 1986 4 items 1/26 Ethnic dinners: German 1986 5 items 1/27 Ethnic dinners: Mexican 1986 3 items 1/28 Ethnic dinners: American steak 1986 3 items 1/29 Menus 1985-1988 11 items 1/30 Menus: International beer banquets 1986-1987 6 items 1/31 Menus: Daily specials undated 5 items 1/32 Miscellaneous 1986-1987 11 items 1/33 Prep lists undated 9 items Series III. Herman Ronnenberg, Personal 1978-1987 1/34 Personal financial records 1978-1987 52 items