Third generation restaurateur reflects on food and family

That's amazing considering the Le Mars native is only 39.

"I started in the business when I was 6 years old," Kass remembered, "sweeping up cigarette butts from the gravel parking lot at Bob's."

He is referring to Bob's Drive-In, the legendary Le Mars restaurant established by his late grandfather Bob Kass in 1949.

The Highway 75 South drive-thru -- lauded for its loosemeats by "Road Food" writers Jane and Michael Stern -- was managed by Kass' dad Myles for decades before ownership shifted to Kass' brother Nathan.

"With Nathan taking care of Bob's in Le Mars, my dad opened a new location in Lake Okoboji," Kass explained.

In the meantime, Kass wanted the experience of running a full-service restaurant that had a menu which extended beyond the Bob's signature burgers and chili dogs.

Yet, he still wanted to utilize his family's expertise.

Opening Four Brothers -- named after himself and his brothers Nathan, Dusty and Kevin -- in 2007, Kass said he relied on his relatives during the restaurant's formative years.

"My mom (Roberta Kass) would come in every day and my dad came in as often as he could," he said. "My parents knew the restaurant business and they wanted to share their knowledge with me."

As the restaurant picked up business, Kass began to rely on his own staff.

"At Bob's, the same crew is making taverns day after day," he reasoned. "Here, I have to lean on a kitchen full of cooks and a dining area with plenty of bartenders and servers."

"The success of Four Brothers is strictly a team effort," he said inside the restaurant at 1430 Two Rivers Blvd. "I couldn't do this without my team."

However, Kass admitted it took a while to figure out what kind of restaurant he wanted to have.

"After a little tinkering, we came up with a place that had great food and a great atmosphere that you couldn't get at home," he explained. "It wouldn't be stuffy or pretentious at all."

Indeed, Kass wanted to create "a place that would be comfortable for both the couple celebrating an anniversary as well as the guy who wanted a burger after mowing his lawn."

For that, Kass knew he needed a menu full of fan favorites like the Pretzel Burger (one-half pound, char-broiled burger, topped with American and Swiss cheese, honey-cracked pepper bacon, bourbon-sauteed onions and a Worcestershire-chive aioli on a butter-toasted bun) and Prime Rib (rubbed with a special seasoning, slow-roasted for eight hours and served with a homemade au jus).

Still, he wanted to try out unusual and unexpected items like a Lahvosh (a sweet, thin cracker bread baked with Havarti cheese along with a choice of tomatoes, peppers, onions, bacon, chicken, turkey, ham, artichoke hearts or mushrooms).

"You can't get lahvosh at too many places around here," Kass said. "That's why we wanted to serve it at Four Brothers."

Following a busy lunch rush, Kass reflected on the lessons his dad taught him.

"My dad expected us to work at Bob's when we were kids," he said. "But dad also wanted us to go to college and experience other things."

"Dad said Bob's -- and the restaurant business -- will still be around for us," Kass continued. "We just needed us to make that decision to continue on our own."

As for Kass, he said the adrenaline rush of hungry diners remains intoxicating.

"I love the fact that every day will be entirely new and different. That's exciting for me."

So is creating delicious and creative menu items.

"You have to be passionate about whatever you do," Kass said. "That's the lesson my grandfather passed on to my dad. And that's the lesson my dad has passed on to me."