Tony Nicklow stands in front of Tony’s Diner on 4th St. in Dinkytown. | Photo by Mason Bierbaum.

Tony’s Diner: Serving More Than Just Food

The story of how Tony Nicklow created a Dinkytown staple through his mutually beneficial partnerships in and around the University of Minnesota.

By Mason Bierbaum | Reporter

In the fall of 2014, just about the time a scam artist offered to sell him gold as he travelled through a Chicago Greyhound bus station, Tony Nicklow thought his ardent fandom of the Minnesota Gophers had gone too far.

“Is this worth it?” the owner of Tony’s Diner in Dinkytown remembered asking himself.

He was headed for Ann Arbor, Michigan, to watch the Minnesota Gophers play the Michigan Wolverines at the Big Ten Mecca, Michigan Stadium, otherwise known as the Big House. Originally, he was to fly there. But a fire in an air traffic control tower at the Detroit airport canceled his flight. In an act of desperation, he boarded a bus to make the nearly 18-hour journey to Ann Arbor.

Such was Tony’s love for Gopher athletics, a love cultivated throughout his entire life. Since the opening of Tony’s Diner in 2002, the restaurant has been catering breakfasts before practices, during recruitment meetings, and after games. Athletes and coaches recognize Nicklow’s Yellow Ford 250 Ecolin and its die-hard Gopher driver. Through winning streaks and playoff droughts, to COVID-19 uncertainties and family tragedies,

Tony’s Diner and Gopher athletics have supported one another when they needed it most. Even regular college students looking for an affordable bite to eat have felt the generosity the Nicklow family has been known to provide to their customers for generations.

The relationship between the Gophers and Tony had always been a two-way street, with as much give as take. The morning Tony arrived in Ann Arbor, he slipped into a local diner to have breakfast and sip on a beer before the game. During this, the Minnesota Quarterback coach, Jim Zebrowski, asked if he could do the team a favor. Zebrowski needed someone to carry a folder containing plays that may be called during the game. In doing so, Tony needed to follow Zebrowski on the sidelines for the entire game. Tony accepted his one-game position and enjoyed his first game at the Big House with a sideline view of the Gophers’ 30–14 victory over the Wolverines.

Likewise, when Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations, Adam Clark, learned Tony planned to take a Greyhound back to Minneapolis, Clark gave Tony a seat on the team’s private plane. A demonstration of gratitude from a team that understood Tony would do the same for them if the roles were reversed.

Bill Nicklow and Tony’s Early Life Influences

Tony began his restaurant career at the age of eight by peeling potatoes for his father’s restaurant, Best Steak House. Located on Washington Avenue and Oak Street in Stadium Village, the Best Steak House was known by many Gopher football fans for its $3 steak and potatoes, its proximity to the old Memorial Stadium, and its charismatic owner, Bill Nicklow.

“He was a pretty good schmoozer,” Tony said, referring to his late father. “He would just kill it during game days.”

Born in 1938 in Thisvi, Greece, a small village one and a half hours northwest of Athens, Bill faced adversity from an early age. In April 1941, Nazi soldiers invaded Greece.

During their occupation, the Nazi soldiers imposed a rule stating that if a German soldier was killed by Greek civilians, 25 men would be randomly selected and executed. If an officer was killed, the number rose to 50. When a German soldier was killed, Bill’s father was selected alongside other men from their village and the rule was enforced.

This violence didn’t occur against just the male population of Thisvi. During a similar situation, young Bill himself was selected and stood up against a wall alongside other women and children of the village. Believing they faced certain death, the Nazi soldiers kept them against the wall for nearly three hours before allowing them to leave.

When the Nazis retreated from Thisvi, they burned much of it down, forcing Bill and other members of his family to hide out in caves. In 1951, Bill took a boat to New York City in search of a new, prosperous life. He eventually settled in Minnesota, where he attended Washburn High School and worked in the Edina Country Club before attending St. Cloud State University with hopes of becoming a history professor. But a Greek businessman in the Twin Cities convinced Bill to open up a restaurant, which eventually became Best Steak House.

Bill instilled in his son the importance of providing both high-quality service and food. This appreciation for high-quality food was top of mind for Bill both inside and outside of his business. When dining at a Chinese restaurant he enjoyed, Bill brought his own feta and lemons to satisfy his high Greek standards.

Outside of peeling potatoes, Tony attended Saint Thomas Academy, an all-boys prep school. This academy imposed a military-like style, with its students being called cadets and uniforms being made mandatory. One of the cadets Tony befriended was Mike Tanghe, who had a younger brother, Paul. While riding the bus with Mike and Paul in 8th grade, Tony taught Paul, who was only a 1st grader, how to properly salute. This lesson worked well for Paul, who went on to serve 25 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. An early example of the budding personality of cooperative friendship Tony is renowned for.

The Tony’s Diner Origin Story and Its Early Successes

The idea behind Tony’s diner came after Tony and his friend, Ivan Jurkovich, brainstormed their futures together over a case of beer in 2001. They decided to create their own restaurant.

“When we told my dad this goofy, drunk idea… he told us there was this place opening up in Dinkytown,” Tony said. “We went in, and we loved the place.

The original idea was to open a Chinese noodles and dumplings restaurant, but because the building’s landlord already rented out another Dinkytown restaurant with the same

business model, Tony pivoted to replicating his father’s affordable steak and potatoes joint while adding a breakfast menu. From that, Tony’s Diner was born.

When the diner opened, Tony and Jurkovich quickly faced the bustling reality of the restaurant industry.

“We were feeding tailgates for a couple hundred people every football game,” Tony said.

On the weekends, after the Dinkytown bars like Blarney and Kitty Cat Klub closed, dozens of college students, in different levels of sobriety, filed into the diner to get a bite to eat and enjoy the live music that played until 3 a.m.

“We would have musicians coming from downtown Minneapolis after their gigs to play because the vibes were so fun,” Tony said. “It was just packed with college kids and people dancing on tables.”

Some of the performances included Jurkovich, Jah Freedom, and Trampled by Turtles.

During the mornings and afternoons, it’s not uncommon to enter Tony’s Diner and see an array of Gopher athletes enjoying a meal before a practice or a game. When Gopher Women’s Hockey forward and 2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey gold medalist, Abbey Murphy, visited the University of Minnesota in 2016, one of her stops included a meal at the diner. Women’s Hockey Head Coach, Brad Frost, introduced Murphy to Tony alongside the other women’s hockey players that day.

“It was at Tony’s Diner when I looked at Brad Frost, and I said I want to go to school here,” Murphy said. “So Tony’s Diner holds a special place in my heart.

Murphy went on to break the Gophers’ women’s hockey all-time goal record with 143 goals during her five seasons at the U of M.

Tony and Murphy show off the 2026 Women’s Hockey Gold Medal Team USA won in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. | Photo provided by Tony Nicklow.

Outside of the diner, Tony made inroads within the athletic department that still benefit the diner today. In the late 2000s, during football coach Tim Brewster’s tenure, Tony began hand-delivering a chicken sandwich to one of the team’s video technicians every day. These constant deliveries drew attention from a recruiting coach who eventually asked Tony to cater for a recruiting breakfast.

“We literally set up shop and did a nice breakfast brunch where we made omelets and pancakes,” Tony said. “We kind of put on a little show… and the recruits signed that day.”

This successful catering event opened up many opportunities for Tony and the diner.

When Jerry Kill became head coach in 2011, Tony served the football team breakfast every weekday for four years while the new Bierman Field Athletic Building was being built.

“[I was] up at 3 a.m. every day, but it was worth it because we were feeding [nearly] 150 guys…” Tony said.

One of the players who reminisces about those catered breakfasts is former Gopher and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Tight End, Ko Kieft. During Kieft’s freshman year, Tony fed the football team while the new practice facility was being built. According to Kieft, seeing Tony every morning was a great way to begin his day.

“He’s the best,” Kieft said. “I love that dude.”

Outside of catering events, Kieft enjoyed Tony’s steak and eggs with hash browns and white toast or his burger, one of the best he had while playing at the U of M. While the food never failed to meet his expectations, Kieft always appreciated the man behind the meal.

“Tony is such a positive dude, just a joy to be around,” Kieft said. “And I think that really shows in his food.”

Gophers rescue Tony’s Diner from COVID disaster

Like many small businesses during the spring of 2020, Tony’s Diner was turned upside down by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The buildup was just scary,” Tony said. “No one really knew what the hell was going on… and everyone’s freaking out.”

A business model built on in-person dining and catering events took a big hit from the pandemic.

“I wasn’t set up for online ordering at that time, so it was a huge shock,” Tony said.

The stresses of uncertainty, paired with Tony and his wife, Yan, raising a toddler, caused him to lose 20 pounds. But, like before, the football team knew who to call when their cafeterias were closed. Serving lunch and dinner for nearly 120 guys, the unknown future of the diner was resolved through the loyalty of the team.

This loyalty was put on display when a homeless man barged into the diner while the football team enjoyed their meal. For some unknown reason, the man tried attacking Tony with a knife. Thankfully for Tony, the defensive linemen acted as offensive guards by throwing the man out of the diner and preventing him from harming Tony.

“‘Don’t worry, Tony, we got this guy, just keep cooking our food,’” Tony recalls the lineman saying.

Though Tony’s Diner made it through COVID-19, other Dinkytown establishments weren’t as fortunate. Restaurants like Annie’s Parlor and The Loring Pasta Bar closed their doors. But Tony did his best to provide work to those laid-off employees.

On the day of Tony’s son’s baptism, one of Tony’s cooks didn’t show up to finish preparing the food for the ceremony’s meal. Overwhelmed with stress and panic that he

may miss an important milestone in his son’s life, Tony asked one of the Loring Bar’s chefs, Miguel Bonce Gonzalez, to finish cooking the rest of the baptism meal. Gonzalez had worked at the Loring for over 15 years. Growing up in Puebla, Mexico, Gonzalez began cooking with his mother in a local bakery. He had been working at a variety of restaurants throughout the Twin Cities, and Tony relied on him and his expertise inside the kitchen.

“He cooked half the food that I had prepared, and he had someone bring it to the church,” Tony said, “and that’s how we became really good friends.”

When Tony learned Gonzalez needed a job, he didn’t hesitate to offer him one.

Miguel’s presence in the kitchen has created a positive effect on not only the food but also the owner.

“He takes pride,” Tony said. “Watching him makes me a better owner.”

This craftsmanship is displayed through the huevos rancheros, Gonzalezs’ favorite dish to cook at the diner. The crunchy corn tortilla is paired with over-easy eggs and saucy meat that’s tied together with a flavorful spice and counterbalanced with cool, diced tomatoes. The relationship between Tony and Gonzalez is another example of Tony and his diner creating a mutually beneficial cooperation that serves not only themselves but also improves the experience for the customer.

Looking towards the future

As the years of ownership turn into decades, Tony’s Diner still delivers that signature Nicklow experience that Tony and his father are known for. Though struggles persist, like rising costs for food and volatile markets, weathering storms of uncertainty is part of the job when operating a small business. Through the George Floyd civil unrest and summer evening curfews, to Operation Metro Surge and prank phone callers threatening to call in I.C.E agents, Tony understands the strains from such experiences are made better through the joys of cooking the food that he loves for the customers that he values.

Whether he’s providing a catered breakfast for swimming recruits in the Williams Arena Club Room by himself or manning the cash register, phone, and flatop grill simultaneously during a busy lunch rush, Tony doesn’t hesitate to schmooze his way through the experience just like his father would have done. Always aiming to provide a meal that makes customers want to come back, he’ll add to the dining experience through his lifetime of service expertise by providing a bottle of Cholula you didn’t realize you needed or including an in-depth rundown on The Original Minneapple Pie apple cinnamon syrup that pairs well with the French toast. When entering Tony’s Diner, the quantity of customers isn’t the priority. Instead, it’s the quality of the dining experience that has kept the neon-lit open sign on for over two decades.

Though the students who walk past its wide, 4th St windows have changed over the years, and the players and coaches he catered meals for have gone down their own paths in life, those who have had the pleasure of knowing Tony well enough always make it a

priority to come back. The support he has given them and the support he has received in return is one of the few consistencies that endures in the Dinkytown restaurant scene.

And if you’re only now just a stranger, he’ll still bid you farewell the same way he does for his most loyal customers,

“Take care, my friend.”