TK’s American Cafe Is a Danbury Institution

When you think of iconic Danbury businesses, T.K.'s American Cafe has to be near the top of the list. The sports bar at the corner of White Street and Federal Road is about to enter its 26th year in business, and they serve up over 20,000 wings a week!

Owner Tom Kennedy (TK) opened the restaurant in 1991, and business was pretty slow for the first few months. He told us:

We had a customer that came in and told us about a bar in a college town down South that was doing a 10 cent wing night on Tuesday and the place was packed, so we decided to try it out, and put a paper sign in the window.

That first night, we had 4 tables of Westconn kids come in, and we were thrilled because that was a big night for us. The next week, the same 4 tables came back, and they brought 4 or 5 more tables of Westconn students. Within a month, there was a line to get in on Tuesdays, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Early on, T.K.'s did lots of promotions to get people in the door to try the place out, including Turkey bowling at Thanksgiving, Punk Rock night on Sundays with local punk bands, and the legendary wing eating contest, where patrons competed to see who could eat the most Suicide wings in two minutes. The wing eating contest makes a return every few years. The Saturday night "bladder bust" went for awhile as well, with 10 cent drafts until the first person went to the bathroom.

We asked Tom to share a few secrets of his success.

In an industry where restaurants come and go, what's the secret to your longevity?

TK: It's a lot of little things that can all add up. I've been blessed with several employees that have been with us for a long time. We have 4 or 5 people that have been there 15 years, and 15 people that have been there for 10. That means a lot to the customers. They know when they walk in that they're going to know somebody.

Describe the typical T.K.'s customer, if there is even such a thing.

TK: It's a little bit of everything, especially with the birthday wings. You get everybody from people bringing their little babies in, to people bringing their 90-year-old Grandma. It really is a wide, wide variety. I would say our average customer is in their 30's, maybe 40's, with a family, and they'll either leave the kids at home and come for a nice casual night out with a burger and some wings, or maybe bring the kids too and keep them entertained with all the TV's at the booths.

What's your most popular wing flavor?

TK: Our Buffalo Hot is the most popular, followed by Honeyaki, which is a Teriyaki sauce with honey.

Is there one wing flavor that you could eat every day?

TK: I like the Pterodactyl myself, which is Teriyaki mixed with barbecue sauce.

How did you finance the business when you first started?

TK: I had worked for Chevron Oil for seven years before opening T.K.'s, so I used almost everything in my retirement account from Chevron. That was my down payment on the business. I also had a loan from the Altieri brothers, who I bought the business from. I paid that back within the first three or four years.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting out in the business, what would it be?

TK: Know how to run a business as opposed to running a bar. You are throwing a party every night, but you really need to know how to run a business. You need to know how to hire (and fire) people, train people, and keep an eye on your expenses. There's a lot of paperwork and behind the scenes stuff every day, and while it's a fun business, it is a business.

TK's American Cafe - 67 Flavors of Wings, over 50 beers, and 30 HD TVs

255 White Street | (203) 730-1776

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