While a lot has changed in Bartholomew County over the past 116 years, one thing in Jonesville has largely remained the same — The Brick, a restaurant and bar that has been known for its hamburgers for generations.
The menu is simple — hamburger, hot dog, sausage, ham, chips, chowder, chili and beans. There’s chips on the side, soft drinks and for those who wish something stronger, beer, wine and wine coolers.
Customers who are frequent visitors say it’s the hamburgers and the Brick’s ambiance, or perhaps lack of it, that has consistently drawn people to the restaurant over the years.
Signage is all about Budweiser beer and domestic brews, along with dusty photographs on the walls and a kitchen that is in full view from the dining area. Hamburger buns are stacked at the corner of the grill and the smell of grilled onions wafts through the small restaurant, lingering long after customers leave after a meal.
Unlike most restaurants of this day and age, The Brick only accepts cash, though there is a card reader in the back of the dining room that allows you to debit money off a card, which is given to you in cash to pay for your meal.
The current Brick building was built in 1903 and has operated as a bar and restaurant ever since, except during Prohibition from 1920 to 1933, when it was a garage, said Brenda Moore, who has worked at The Brick for 22 years.
However, another bar previously operated at the same location in the 1860s, but was rumored to to have been burned down by a group of local women, Moore said.
“There was a bar here in the 1860s and the women in Jonesville at some point decided they were tired of it being here and burned it down. So they rebuilt this one in brick,” Moore said.
Nobody at the restaurant — including Tommy Ferguson, who has been the cook for 35 years — was sure why the place is called The Brick.
The general consensus among employees was that people likely started calling the restaurant The Brick since at least before the 1970s.
“It also was called the Jonesville Tavern, then the Jonesville Tea Room, which was a joke,” Moore said.
Bradley Robinson, 44, of Jonesville, who said he has been eating at the iconic restaurant almost every week for 35 years, said he has ordered the same thing almost every week — a bottle of Bud Lite and a chili cheese dog.
“It’s a quiet, laid-back place to come get a good cheeseburger,” Robinson said between pulls on a cigarette. “Their chili is on point. It never gets crazy in here. I know everybody that comes in here, pretty much. Everybody knows me.”
“It’s good people,” he added.
Jim Schultz, 58, of Columbus, said he he has been eating at The Brick for around 37 years.
“The burger is the main attraction to me,” Schultz said. “The onion, the cheese and a little mayonnaise.”
Schultz said he used to smoke, and one of the reasons why he liked The Brick was because “I could sit, relax and smoke a cigarette.”
Terry East, 58, of Columbus, who has been eating Brick food for at least 40 years, said it’s the food and atmosphere that has kept people returning the restaurant and bar for decades.
“It’s the food and the atmosphere and because it’s been here so long that it’s neat to have a establishment like this that lasts this long,” East said. “Just the goodness of the people.”
When asked for some of the most memorable moments at the restaurant over the past few decades, the employees and a couple patrons burst out laughing.
“There have been a lot of memories,” Moore said.
Employees said they recalled people driving motorcycles and riding horses through the restaurant, as well as a wedding ceremony, decades ago.
“Back in the day, I’ve heard everything has been through here — horses, motorcycles, wheelbarrows, and somebody got married,” Moore said, pointing at the path from the restaurant’s front door to the back door. “That was all prior to the ‘90s.”
After decades, the allure of The Brick, which still allows smoking and never has lost its smell of cheeseburgers on the grill, continues to draw people back, customers and employees said.
“What happens at The Brick, stays at The Brick,” Moore said.
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The Brick is a longtime staple in Jonesville and offers hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chili, among other items, according to the menu. Prices range $3.50 to $4 depending on the item.
The Brick is located at 309 Walnut St. in Jonesville.
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