Anoka, Minnesota — Most people would consider today to be a normal Saturday, but for the staff and customers of 201 Tavern Beer Garden and Grill in Anoka, it was anything but.
“I don’t even know how to describe how I feel, just like he should be here, right now with all of us,” Gloria Nelson, the tavern’s general manager, explained.
She’s referring to one of her bartenders, Brandon Stott, who has not been seen since Tuesday, April 8.
“He didn’t show up for his shift on Thursday, and that may like seem like not a big deal for a bar employee, but he’s never been a minute late to his shift,” she told me.
Nelson stated that Stott came in as a customer on Tuesday night and was scheduled to leave on Wednesday.
Nelson stated that he was a military veteran who retired in Minnesota as a recruiter.
Danae Williams sat with him on Tuesday night. She works as a bartender and server at 201 Tavern, but she was also a customer on Tuesday night.
“I could just tell he wanted to talk, which is not out of the blue for any of just to like vent and have a day, but he was definitely having a day when we last saw him and he was just having a rough time,” says Williams.
She described Stott as her big brother, and they have a close relationship.
“He would do whatever for anybody, just a sweet guy, all around caring,” she went on: “It’s very unlike him not to show up.”
Williams claims she and Stott are both bartenders. He was always early, so early that others assumed she was late.
“I’m like ‘I’m not late, this is the time I’m supposed to be here, I’m just not Brandon, you know, I’m not here early,’ he’s just a punctual guy,” says Williams.
Like Nelson, she knew something was wrong when he didn’t show up.
“Knowing that he had Wednesday off and Tuesday night he was not, and he was a little off, I was like, ‘OK, maybe he’ll just be here at 10 a.m.’ But when it got to 10:01, I was like, “I’m calling the cops because there is no way in the world he could be late for even a minute and I wouldn’t know about it,” Nelson explained. “He is a creature of habit.” A creature of routine and someone you can rely on. “If he says he’ll be there, he will.”
Nelson asked the police to conduct a welfare check on him. She was present when police searched his home on Thursday, but Stott was not.
She was worried he needed medical attention but couldn’t call for help. She was relieved to learn he wasn’t present, but she began to wonder where he was.
“It didn’t show like he packed up or he took off, I mean like he had pans in the sink, and a grocery list written out,” noted Nelson.
Stott was mentioned in a Facebook post by the Anoka Police Department Friday night. They expressed concern for his well-being and asked people to call them if they saw him.
“We need him back here. “We need to know that he’s safe,” Nelson stated.
“That is so unlike him not to come to work,” said Savannah Schmalz, a server and bartender.
Schmalz has been working with Stott for five years.
“It saddens me so much he’s not here with us right now,” Schmalz told me.
Stott was scheduled to work on Saturday, so it was a difficult day for the employees.
“I suppose I don’t know how I feel. “I’m so confused,” Schmalz said.
“I’m like trying to stay tough and positive because I just don’t feel like anybody breaking down is going to help us find Brandon, and that’s what we need to do right now is find Brandon,” Williams told reporters.
“It’s so hard to do our job right now, feeling like we are all feeling,” Mr. Nelson said.
Some of the customers at 201 Tavern feel the same way.
“We are missing him. “He’s always here; he’s the lifeblood of this town,” Erin Larson said, sitting next to her husband Ryan.
“There’s nobody here that doesn’t know him,” Mr. Ryan said.
“We want him home, and we want answers,” Erin explained.
The Larsons have been visiting 201 Tavern for six or seven years. They became friends with Stott about five years ago.
“When you walk in and he knows you, there’s a huge smile on his face, then by the time you get to the bar, which is 20 feet away, he’s got your drink waiting for you, so he’s got a lot of love and you could feel that,” Ryan told me.
“He’s a great guy, and we’re very concerned. “This is not like him,” Erin stated. “He’s super reliable.”
Ryan stated that he always showed up, even though he wasn’t feeling well a few weeks ago.
“He lost his voice, but he was still here, so for him not to show up is just unheard of,” Mr. Ryan said.
According to the Larsons, Stott knows everything about everyone, including their drinking habits and interests. He hangs out with them after their shift and goes to other bars in town to support them.
“We just want him back here; he is a member of this family. “I can’t believe he’s not here right now,” Erin stated.
“He is 201 Tavern,” Nelson explained. “We’re his family.” This town represents his family. It extends far beyond this bar at 201 Tavern.”
Nelson described Stott as the heart of the tavern, caring more about others than himself.
“He’ll stare at me and read me like a book. He already knows, and he’s changed his behavior so that if you need a coffee, I’ll run over and get you one,” Nelson explained. “Anything that’s a problem, he’s going to make it right; he’s looking out for the girl who’s getting hit on by a guy that’s much too old to be hitting on her.”
Stott treated everyone like family, and now his family wants him to return home.
“Everyone loves him. “He’s literally the glue to 201,” Williams explained.
“I can only hope and pray that he’s back, and we’re able to have a Saturday night shift where I come in and see his face again,” Schmalz told me.
“Brandon if you are where you want to be because you just need to be somewhere else, just let us know you’re OK, and that’s Ok with us, we just need to know you’re safe,” Nelson told the crowd.
Nelson stated that the tavern will be closed on Sunday so that they can search for him. She stated that 201 Tavern will serve as the search headquarters. Nelson invites anyone who wants to help to meet there at 10 a.m.