The White Rabbit Lounge

08/31/2026

We’re All Mad Here!

08/30/2026

With Dolly Parton’s passing this week, we’ve been thinking about what we could do to remember someone who somehow managed to be glamorous, ridiculous, wildly talented and genuinely good to people all at the same time.

That feels pretty White Rabbit to us.

So I got an idea for a new TeeShirt: “Bunny Parton”

Country glam. Big hair. Rhinestones. Probably an unreasonable amount of cleavage for a rabbit.

And we want a local artist to actually design it.

The pictures below are concept art not the shirt. We want to see what you fun loving weirdos come up with.

We’re accepting submissions throughout September. We’ll pick our finalists at the end of the month, put them in front of all of you, and you’ll choose which Bunny Parton becomes the shirt.

Winning artist gets $300 cash + a free shirt + full credit for the artwork.

And because making a Dolly tribute and pocketing the money feels like completely missing the point, 100% of the profits from the shirts will be donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in her memory.

We’re hoping to have the winning shirt available by mid-October.

So…

Who’s the local artist we need to know about? Tag them below.

Artists: send us your submissions. Take the idea and run with it. The stranger, prettier, trashier, classier, more rhinestoned and more Dolly it gets, the better.

We’ll let the Rabbit Hole decide the winner. 🐇

08/30/2026

I want to take a minute to shout out our entire team and especially our GM, Carol.

After setting a single-week sales record during our 3rd Birthday week, we’re taking Tuesday off.

And trust me… we earned it.

Behind the scenes, the week started with a full-on Murphy’s Law situation.

Our oven died.
Our ice machine died.
Our sump pump died.

Meanwhile, we were coordinating Craft Night, Golden Ticket clues, scavenger hunts, carriage rides, birthday plans, and everything else that came with one of the biggest weeks we’ve ever had.

So while the team was keeping the restaurant moving, I was calling every repair person I knew and trying to keep all the plates spinning.

Somehow, we got everything fixed in time.

And then the weekend came.

You all showed up.

The birthday went amazingly.

And our team absolutely crushed it.

It was a hard week. It was stressful. There were plenty of moments where it felt like everything wanted to go wrong at once.

But we got through it together.

So thank you to Carol, thank you to every member of our team, and thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated with us.

Three years are officially in the books.

And with this team?

We’re only getting started. 🐇

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

Birthday cake being served today @5!

08/28/2026

Come out tonight!

08/28/2026

Part 3: What other options do we actually have?

I’m not an engineer, but before we accept $180 million or lose the lake as our only choices, we should be asking better questions.

Is the sediment really toxic? Can some be reused? Can we reduce it before hauling it? Are there cheaper dam options? Can this be done in phases?

Around here, when something breaks, we don’t just throw it away.

We work the problem.

Next: What does it cost us to lose Versailles Lake?

08/28/2026

Is it just me, or did anybody have “local restaurant owner accidentally becomes one of the loudest voices in local politics” on their bingo card this year?

Because I sure didn’t.

I was just trying to sell cocktails, argue about dinner specials, and keep an ice machine alive.

Now apparently I’m reading DNR feasibility studies, talking about public funding, asking questions at town halls, and discussing sediment management like this is a completely normal turn my life took.

Life comes at you fast, I guess.

Anyway… save the lake.

Send a message to learn more

08/26/2026

Part 2 of digging into the future of Versailles Lake.

We keep hearing one number: $180 million.

But DNR’s own 2021 study shows the story is a lot more complicated than “it costs $180 million to fix the dam.”

The detailed estimate was $66.5 million. The summary later says $103.5 million. Today, the rough estimate is closer to $180 million.

And once you break down the original numbers, one thing becomes pretty clear:

The dam itself isn’t the biggest cost. The sediment is.

So before we decide the lake is simply too expensive to save, I think we need a current, itemized estimate—and we need to start asking whether this has to be one giant all-or-nothing project.

Maybe the better question is:

What can we fix first?

Part 3 will look at some of the alternatives and questions that deserve a real answer before we give up on the lake.

08/25/2026

This week’s specials are bringing some serious end-of-summer energy. 🍍🌯

Our Pineapple Margarita Sorbet is sweet, tart, boozy, and finished with Tajín for a little kick.

And this week’s wrap takes inspiration from our Goat Flatbread: garlic parm chicken, mushrooms, tomato, lettuce, balsamic, and goat cheese all wrapped up and served with fries.

Available this week only… come hungry.