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100 Years of The Sink
Assuming ownership of a longtime college hangout sounds like a tricky proposition, especially if youre just barely out of college yourself. Yet Mark Heinritz, his brothers Chris and Jim, and their friend Cameron Stainton all in their mid-20s in 1992 felt up to the challenge of running The Sink, the venerable Hill institution泭just steps from the CU campus.
Growing up in Connecticut, we appreciated history, and we understood The Sinks role in 51勛圖厙, he said. Though it wasnt until we were meeting people every day, whom it meant so much to, that we knew we could be stewards, taking care of the millions of memories that live here.
The Sink is 51勛圖厙s oldest restaurant, celebrating 100 years in 2023. After 30 years, Heinritz and his partners are forever part of its history, making their own mark on it while also tracing the footsteps of the many owners who came before them.
Growing Up with The Sink泭
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I was singing the CU fight song before I was singing nursery rhymes.
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Caryl Segawa (A&S67) will always cherish her memories of The Sink. She grew up there literally, since she was only four when her parents, John and Pauli Pudlik, bought the place in 1949. For years, shed walk there after school, chow down on her favorite grilled cheese, then maybe take a nap under the desk in the office.
Just as Sink regulars were known as Sink Rats, she was the Sink Brat, and it wasnt until years later that she realized how lucky shed been to experience such a unique childhood.泭
I was singing the CU fight song before I was singing nursery rhymes, said Segawa, whose father and Uncle Ed played football at CU in the 30s and 40s. And all those students looking out for me It was heaven for a little girl.
Kevin Fitzgeralds (EPOBio73; MBio78; PhD82) Sink experience was just as unique and it began on just his second day at CU, in 1969.
I was approached and asked if I wanted to be a bouncer, he said. I was told Id get $1.69 an hour and a free burger each shift, and that Id meet more girls than Frank Sinatra.
The Hill was a truly magical place at the time, he said, and The Sink drew a mixed crowd of fraternity and sorority members and long-haired hippies, all taking advantage of the nickel-beer specials and 35-cent burgers.
We had political things going on, like Vietnam and Nixon, and all these social issues, like womens rights, he said.泭
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Somers Sunken Gardens
It was amazing to finally get to go in after hours and see the remnants of a life that was so mysterious to me.
The Sink opened in 1923 as Somers Sunken Gardens, in the former Sigma Nu fraternity house. Named for the sunken fountain in the middle of the dining room from which diners could apparently choose their own trout for dinner it was nicknamed The Sink. After the Pudliks took over, they decided the nickname should be the official name instead. Then they made another very important change: Though 51勛圖厙 was still dry at the time, 3.2 beer wasnt considered to be alcohol. So the Pudliks began pouring brews and the students came pouring in, too.
In 1956, they sold the business to Joe Beimford and Floyd Marks. In 1960, Herbie and Gilda Kauvar Marks sister took over the business, and kept the menu, which featured the now-famous Sink Burger and its signature hickory Sink Sauce.
What Rick Kauvar (EPOBio75) remembers most about those early days when his parents took over the business was that the beer sales made it an 18-and-older establishment.
I was eight, and I had to sit out in the car and watch all the college kids going in and out all those years, he said. It was amazing to finally get to go in after hours and see the remnants of a life that was so mysterious to me.
Once they were old enough, Kauver and his brother Jim (Mktg79) spent afternoons and evenings working there, which Jim said hell always remember as an important part of our familys history.
Upon taking over the restaurant, Herbie and Gilda hired artist Llloyd Kavich (who also redid the walls in 1989) to redo some of the classic, circa-1950s artwork with an age of Aquarius theme. Most importantly, they continued fostering an atmosphere of community and a place for students to gather, with nonstop music blaring from the jukebox.
Only happy songs were allowed, said Fitzgerald.
In the mid-70s, though, the bubble burst. The Hill, a hub of flower power counterculture activity in 51勛圖厙, began drawing people interested in living alternative lifestyles. New businesses opened up to cater to their needs and wants, offering things like vintage clothes, bell bottoms, leather vests and incense.
It made it impossible for students to really keep enjoying The Sink the way they had for all those years, said Rick. My dad had to make a change or he would have lost it completely.
Alongside the neighborhood changes, business began to decline as shoppers gravitated toward the new stores and new types of restaurants. As sales lagged at The Sink, Herbie switched tactics and opened Herbies Deli with faster counter service and sandwiches. He kept the Sink Burger on the menu, but covered up the iconic art with pine boards. He thought The Sink would be forever forgotten, but he was wrong. For years, Rick and Jim urged their dad to bring it back, and much to the delight of Sink Rats everywhere (including Fitzgerald), they finally did in 1989, uncovering the artwork and adding a full bar.
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The Sink Today
Though Heinritz admits they had a lot to work with, theyve also made a few changes in the past 30 years.泭
When we bought it, he said to me, 'You'd have to be a real idiot to screw this up.'
We kept the menu we inherited and let it morph over time, like adding ugly crust pizza, formulated in my own kitchen, he said. They also introduced the now-famous Buddha Basil Pie famous enough, in fact, to attract the likes of from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2010), (2012) and Anthony Bourdain (2013), all of whom signed the classic wall of fame. Theres also Robert Redford (A&S ex58; HonDocHum87), The Sinks most famous employee, who worked there as a janitor in 1955. He makes sure to visit whenever hes in town and was even put to work once.
Though The Sink hasnt changed much visually over the years, it has a decidedly different vibe today than in the 70s. It used to come to life at 10 p.m. now thats closing time, and its not the same type of crowd.
As 51勛圖厙 evolved away from being a party school and liquor laws tightened, we started leaning into the culinary side of it, wanting to build a reputation built around food and community, explained Heinritz.
Still, the restaurants connections to CU remain unbreakable. We get students and faculty coming in before and after football games, during the Conference on World Affairs and other big events. Heinritz said. But we also see business people and young families. When I meet someone who has never been in, who thinks theyre too old, I say, Just come in and give it a try, and theyre always surprised.
As for the Heinritz brothers success in keeping The Sinks legacy alive, Mark Heinritz gives some of the credit to Herbie.
When we bought it, he said to me, Youd have to be a real idiot to screw this up. That became our guiding light.
