605 STOPS BY Dempsey's BREWERY RESTAURANT & PUB
Dempsey's Brewery Restaurant & Pub in Watertown began with an impulse purchase moment by Bill Dempsey . A deli-express truck driver by trade and a homebrewer by night, he came home one day with a 10-Barrel Brewhouse (10BBL) system from Moorehead, MN.
Current owner of Dempsey’s and Bill’s son, Sean , recalls his mother’s reaction when his dad drove up with a trailer full of equipment.
“I think he slept on the couch for about a year after that,” laughed Sean.
The full-service restaurant opened on North Broadway in 1999 with a “heavy European vibe” and specialized in craft beers (which is stated on the website as the second oldest brewery in South Dakota) and hand- crafted pizzas. Starting in 2014, the Dempsey’s team started dabbling in innovative specialty pizzas, which gained national and international recognition with awards and accolades. Sean took over the family business in 2016 and joined the coveted United States Pizza Team in 2017. The brand and business model grew, starting with Danger von Dempsey’s in Aberdeen in 2019, then opening Danger von Dempsey’s ATY (inside of the Watertown Regional Airport ) and Danger von Dempsey’s Brookings in 2023.
WRITTEN BY ALANA SNYDER & PHOTOS BY JOHN SNYDER
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