SMALL SPACES | SALUT WINE & COCKTAIL LOUNGE | THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
Photos by Jennifer Goetz
Longtime friends Marc and Katie Sonderegger and Matt and Larissa Slimmer frequently traveled to Lawrence and Kansas City to enjoy cocktails and conversation in sophisticated surroundings. When COVID-19 confined their travel to backyard firepits, they circled around the idea of opening a local lounge featuring all the upscale amenities and high-end adult beverage selections they’d sought elsewhere.
In December, retail space opened in the couples’ Westboro neighborhood, and their interest escalated, culminating in a spring break decision to tour the space. Soon after, they leased the building and hosted a grand opening celebration in late July.
Marc Sonderegger is principal of Wanamaker Elementary School, Katie Sonderegger is principal of Farley Elementary School and Larissa Slimmer serves as a counselor at Wanamaker Elementary School. Matt Slimmer is a commercial plumber.
The owners did their homework, which included launching a successful Kickstarter campaign and creating a business plan in consultation with the Washburn University Small Business Development Center.
Marc Sonderegger said the hardest decision they encountered wasn’t determining the décor or the menu but coming up with a succinct name that accurately conveyed their aspiration for the space.
“We wanted to showcase that we’re a neighborhood place and finally settled on Salut Wine and Cocktail Lounge,” he said. “Salut is a friendly French greeting that can also be used as an expression about sharing food and drink with companions, so it fits our concept nicely.”
The lounge features an outdoor patio and a long bar on one side with seven padded stools. On the adjacent side, up to 28 patrons can nestle into curved and vibrantly colored velvet chairs for small-table seating. A rotating gallery of Kansas art will soon adorn the walls.
“We wanted to create inviting, comfortable areas that would be more like a living room than a restaurant to encourage people to linger,” said Sonderegger.
In addition to sipping drinks, patrons can also enjoy small plates. Selections include grazing boards, marinated olives, dips and various tartines—grilled bread with toppings like brie and apricot, fig and prosciutto and smoked salmon and cucumber.
“You won’t find any fried cheese sticks or TVs here,” said Sonderegger, laughing. “We want people to focus on each other when they’re here instead of competing for attention with a screen.”
Salut offers a variety of fine wines and cocktails like a New York sour, an Oaxaca Old Fashioned and a Hemingway daiquiri.
“Larissa and Katie wanted to offer nicer wines that may not be found elsewhere in the city, and we wanted to experiment with a new take on traditional drinks,” said Sonderegger.
Kickstarter backers at a certain level were invited to meet with Adam Clary, a Standard Beverage mixologist, to create signature cocktails for the menu.
“A lot of the drink names are based on nicknames or occupations,” said Sonderegger. “The Indigo Mist gin and tonic is named for a woman named Dee and is made with her favorite gin. Her husband is an attorney who drinks scotch, so his drink is The Barrister.”
Sonderegger says plenty of non-alcoholic beverages with fun twists are available too.
Salut infuses cocktails and cuisine with seasonal fall flavors like a Brown Butter Rum Old Fashioned and a tartine made with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, walnuts and an apple cider vinaigrette.
Promoting collaborative local business partnerships is essential to the couples’ entrepreneurial approach. They serve Blue Jazz Coffee Roasters coffee andbeers on tap from the Blind Tiger, Happy Bassett, Iron Rail Brewing and Norsemen Brewing Company. & Restaurant. The couples also enlisted Hazel Hill to create a signature Salut truffle for inclusion in their dessert trio option.
Weekend brunch service includes Bloody Mary’s, Bellinis, mimosas and sparkling cocktails complementing such fare as crème brûlée French toast, a Croque Madame tartine and almond croissants.
The couples get extra credit for transforming Salut’s basement into The Principal’s Office, a reservation-only speakeasy with a separate back-door entrance designated with an old-school principal’s paddle.
“It has a different vibe with a retro feel,” said Sonderegger. “We found a lot of the vintage furniture at stores in the NOTO Arts District, West Bottoms and Lawrence. While we were cleaning out closets, we discovered an old console with albums, so we play those and encourage people to bring their own vinyl when they reserve their spot.”
Wooden school desks serve as end tables in the venue, which is dimly lit with lamps and candles. Old globes, books, framed maps and rugs accessorize several seating areas that can accommodate up to 24 people.
A former mural purchased at Wheatland Antique Mall has found new life as a back-wall display. The artist, Mary Dunbar-Smith, created the piece for a high school musical and recently autographed it in its new location.
Reservations for The Principal’s Office are made online for two-hour “detention” increments. An email provides instructions about parking, accentuating the speakeasy attribute of secrecy.
“We often ask individuals on arrival what they did to deserve detention, and we’ve had some very interesting answers,” said Sonderegger.
Classic cocktails have themed names like Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room (an Old Fashioned served smoking), Hot for Teacher (a jalapeno margarita), Hopscotch (a butterscotch drink) and Crossing Guard (a classic Boulevardier with a slight bitterness from Cynar).
Simplified snacks include house-smoked nuts and spicy pretzels. Adult lunchables comprising meat, cheese and crackers are served on a cafeteria tray.
Open only a short while, Salut and The Principal’s Office have both enjoyed brisk business with many patrons drawn by social media and word-of-mouth.
“It’s been gratifying to have people saying that this is something that’s been needed in Topeka,” Sonderegger said. “Instead of Topekans traveling to Lawrence, Manhattan and Kansas City, we’re seeing people from those places traveling here.”
