As restaurant closings go, Pete Evarts’ efforts are Oscar caliber.
He owns the Crum Box Gastgarden, the crimson caboose-shaped restaurant stationed inside the Railroad Square Art Park. He’s always taken the non-traditional track for marketing his sausage-centric menu. It was only right, in true “Peter Meats” fashion, to say goodbye the same way.
A six-minute YouTube video announcing the closing features his made-up character and alter-ego in a spoof of the Academy Award-sweeping “Forrest Gump” movie. The camera closes in on his white running sneakers featuring a sausage link instead of the famous Nike “swoosh.”
“In closing the Crum Box, I definitely wanted to do something maybe a little epic,” said Evarts, in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “I was lucky enough to meet some great, talented people who were willing to help me create the vision.”
Sitting outside on a rocking chair, Peter Meats offers only a pensive stare as the Crum Box is seen in the background. Suddenly, he rises and runs, just like Forrest Gump did in the 1994 blockbuster film.
He borrows lines from the movie and weaves in his own story and humor, including a long scraggly beard to symbolize how long he’s been running the restaurant.
The video climaxes with a close-up of Peter Meats, wearing a pin-striped paperboy cap with red “Crum Box” letters. He stops mid run and turns to a crowd of runners posing as his faithful followers. After a pregnant pause, a weary Peter Meats musters a few words: “I’m pretty tired. I think I’m going to close the Crum Box now.”
A sluggish run ensues as he parts the awe-struck crowd. A monologue explains the moment, where Evarts says he’d been running the Crum Box for nine years, two months, 14 days and 11 hours.
“That scene from Forrest Gump, I think, kind of exemplified my journey,” Evarts told the Democrat.
The news is a hard one to swallow for the restaurant’s faithful fans. On Facebook, a post from the Tallahassee Beer Society illustrated just how crushed some residents are about seeing the sandwich shop close.
“Literally heartbroken rn … This is just such a HUGE loss for Tallahassee, y’all,” the post said. “Because The Crum Box Gastgarden wasn’t just one of the most unique restaurants in Tally, we’d argue it’s one of the most unique in the entire United States. Got-DAMMIT … we are gonna miss you, Pete Evarts.”
“You were so creative in everything you did – from your recipes, to your location, to your marketing, to your beloved alter-ego, ‘Peter Meats.’ “
Just like in the movie, there was no particular reason why the man dubbed “The Sausage King of Tallahassee” stopped his restaurant race. It was just simply time.
From meat-flavored memories to silly videos, Evarts said it’s been a good run. He’ll miss the antics, like sporting over-sized elephant and unicorn heads to garner attention toward his restaurant. He’ll miss creating his “One Crum Box News” videos, featuring news anchor Peter Meats in different get-ups as the character delivered the restaurant’s news and specials.
He’ll miss hosting sausage festivals and downing a cold one with customers and friends.
The Crum Box officially closed its doors July 30. It will remain open for this month’s First Fridays at the Railroad Square Art Park for drinks only — one last toast until time runs out on the restaurant’s run. There may be some pop-up opportunities in August and customers can check the Crum Box’s Facebook page for details.
Like any protagonist, when asked if Peter Meats will make a return someday, Evarts chuckled and didn’t offer any spoilers.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” he confessed. “I don’t think Peter Meats will ever truly go away at this point, but I don’t know if Peter Meats will manifest in the future. But, he definitely will always be a part of me.”
Contact Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com. Follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.
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