Gordy's Hi-Hat founder Gordon Lundquist dies at 93

DULUTH – For most of their lives, Gordy and Marilyn Lundquist were a well-oiled team, opening two burger joints together before embarking on the 1960 Gordy's Hi-Hat venture in Cloquet that endures today. Until the last couple of years, Gordy manned entire shifts behind the counter of the landmark restaurant while Marilyn filled orders. Gordy managed to meet and greet customers for nearly every one of the restaurant's 61 seasons.

"It was his life's work," said grandson Sever Lundquist. "It had his name on it, but he and my Grandma Marilyn were 50/50 on running the operation. Not too many people can say they ran a restaurant for 60 years alongside your wife."

The two were married 71 years. Gordy died July 6 at his winter home in Sarasota, Fla. He was 93.

Indulging in a hand-formed burger, milkshake and freshly made onion rings when Gordy's reopens each spring is a sacred ritual for many Northland residents and visitors. The restaurant — which twice appeared on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," in 2010 and this year — draws food lovers from across the country, and Gordy acted as "an ambassador of goodwill" for the city of Cloquet, said Mayor Roger Maki, who has eaten there "hundreds" of times in his life.

"Gordy always had a smile and a kind word," whether you lived in the area your whole life or were a tourist passing through, Maki said.

A Duluth native born in 1927, Gordy was a high school football standout at Denfeld High School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Gordy and Marilyn started their first business with an A&W root beer and burger place in Eveleth in the early 1950s following a trip to California to visit the first McDonald's. They opened another burger drive-in on Duluth's London Road in 1955.

"They were risk-takers," said son Dan Lundquist, who owns Gordy's today. "Two young people who ventured out on their own and jumped into a business."

Gordy enjoyed the television experience and the fact that the restaurant was recognized because customers drew attention to it.

"But he wasn't one to boast about accolades, so he didn't talk about it too much," Sever said.

Over six decades, Gordy influenced thousands of kids who took summer jobs at the restaurant, as he instilled in them the strong work ethic that drove him.

Sever, 32, counts himself as one who was influenced. He's worked alongside his grandparents for several years.

"I would get to spend all day with them, which is rare," he said. "He taught me the value of hard work. He took pride in the restaurant they built together and pride in the relationships they had with customers," who have always felt like they are "sitting in Gordy's and Marilyn's dining room."

Even when the pandemic forced a pivot to an old-fashioned carhop model in the spring of 2020, Gordy came to visit with customers outside. He remained in Florida this season because of his health, his grandson said.

Mere hours after the restaurant announced the passing of Gordy on its social media Wednesday, 5,000 people had already shared reactions and condolences, remembering a free ice cream cone from Gordy or a ride home from him after a shift.

"He was a good, honest man with a good heart," Dan said. "You're just selling hamburgers on the side of the road, but he touched a lot of lives."

Along with Dan, Gordy is survived by his wife, Marilyn, son Richard Lundquist, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services are pending.

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450