Hog & Jog invites visitors to pig out

SPIRIT LAKE – Get ready to strap on the feed bag. The Hog & Jog Restaurant in Spirit Lake is about to reopen.

Shuttered for about two years, the once-thriving business was housed in a turquoise-and-white-striped Quonset hut on state Highway 41.

It’s being remodeled inside and out by a family trio, all area residents, who will own and manage the Hog & Jog. They hope to have the place ready this fall.

Mary Halberson joked that her job is “moneybags.” Her son Stephen Halberson will manage the front of the house. And another son, Brian Halberson, will be chef and manage the kitchen.

When they bought the building in May, the Halbersons discovered decades of deferred maintenance had turned the place into a pigpen, said Stephen Halberson, a contractor.

Since then, the brothers have been working night and day to resuscitate the old hog.

Everything about the Hog & Jog will be new.

There will be a fresh kitchen, plumbing, wiring, décor and a 1,200-square-foot patio with a water feature. The exterior will be painted maroon and cream.

“It’s been a thousand times more work than we thought it would be,” said Stephen Halberson. “But in a few weeks, it’ll look like a million bucks.”

One thing, however, will stay the same: the Hog & Jog’s generous portions.

They made the Hog & Jog stand out in the herd. Customers who cleaned their plates earned free T-shirts advertising their accomplishment.

“We’ll have four different T-shirts for four different meals,” Stephen Halberson said:

“The Barnyard omelet with eight eggs and a half-pound of meat, plus toast and hash browns.

“The Large Cover, a doubled-up pancake on a big platter.

“The Swineburger, including sausage, beef, turkey and ham on a bun, plus a side of fries.

“The Slob, a skillet scramble of eggs, potatoes, peppers, onions and sausage bathed in gravy and served on a 16-inch pizza pan.

The menu was a magnet for truckers, travelers, families and townspeople.

“We hope to have them back,” Stephen Halberson said.

Filling out the menu will be fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, prime rib, pork chops, spare ribs, desserts and, they hope, beer and wine, Mary Halberson said.

“We’re quite excited about it,” she said.

Once again, the Hog & Jog will capitalize on its iconic pig. However, it will not house a real porker on site, as a previous owner did.

“Can you imagine sitting down and having bacon and sausage and looking out and seeing a pig?” Mary Halberson asked. “It’s really kind of funny.

“We’re going to have a concrete pig greeting people,” she said. “He kind of jogs in a cute dance position.”