COVINGTON, Ky. — Addie Von Den Benken was at a career crossroads. As a communications professional, Von Den Benken sought a path that allowed her to be closer to her family.
But then, she thought, what the heck.
So she and her father, Tom, decided to open a restaurant. In 2020, the duo founded Eishaus – a walk-up ice cream shop located at 115 Park Place in Covington’s Roebling Point neighborhood. Its signature dish was Spaghettieis, a popular German ice cream dish that resembles a plate of spaghetti.
“We decided to open a walk-up window to serve the needs of that time. We didn’t want to do anything inside, she told our news partner LINK nky. “We wanted to make sure we were meeting the needs of COVID times.”
Despite the challenging conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Von Den Benken’s felt like they had more to offer. One year later, they opened Frosthaus, a restaurant that served frozen cocktails and food. Prior to its debut, the Von Den Benken’s used the Frosthaus space for storage.
For years, the sister-businesses hummed along, becoming synonymous with the Roebling Point neighborhood. Customers usually grabbed an ice cream or frozen cocktail during the summer months, enjoying it while sitting at their outdoor patio next door to Molly Malone’s, Von Den Benken said.
However, as time went on, she began to notice a theme — one that she felt was limiting their potential.
“We had people getting ice cream at Eishaus and frozen drinks over here, and that was really fun,” she said. “I think as time went on, we realized that, really, to be successful in this industry. It’s very challenging. This is a tough industry, and being seen as just a frozen drink bar is really hard.”
Von Den Benken felt their restaurants’ branding was disjointed. It already utilized a standard naming convention in the Greater Cincinnati area by using the German word ‘haus’ as a suffix in their restaurant titles. The Von Den Benken’s, themselves, are of direct German origin.
The Von Den Benken’s hired BLDG, a Covington-based branding consultancy, to reinvigorate their brand.
“They were like – we don’t know what you are,” she said. “People drive up and they’re like, are you an ice cream shop? Are you just frozen drinks? For the last couple years, we’ve been hearing like, ‘do you guys even have food? We didn’t know you had food.’”
The Von Den Benken’s took the advice to heart, reinventing their restaurant as The Hum. Its name and bright orange and yellow color scheme pay homage to the building’s past as the Union, Light, Heat & Power Co., a predecessor to Cinergy and later Duke Energy of Ohio and Kentucky. The name “The Hum” comes from the subtle buzz of electricity.
Besides the rebrand, Von Ben Benken overhauled its menu, which will continue to feature Frosthaus’ signature cocktails, as well as dinner plates like chicken and waffles, barbecue short rib and a Kentucky hot brown. The signature menu item is ‘The Pocket’ – a contemporary take on the Hot Pocket.
Newly hired executive chef Rex Herald, previously of Ripple Wine Bar, believes the new menu will expand The Hum’s client base. He said people typically view the restaurant as a “before-or-after dinner place.”
“I think there’s a little something for everybody,” Herald said. “I mean, we actually have dinner plates now, too, so that’s a brand new thing for us. I think that people will like, check that out right now.”
The walkup window will no longer serve Spaghettieis, but will offer a curated selection of quick bites and cold drinks. The Hum window will open in mid-June, according to a press release.
For Von Den Benken, the rebrand allows her family to reestablish itself in the Roebling Point business community, one that has accepted them since they started.
“We are in a really great community where we want people to come down to Roebling Point and really hang out here for a full day,” she said. ”We have some great businesses around us, and we all work together, which is what this community is about.”
This story originally appeared on our partner's website LINK nky.
