Travail Launches ‘Haunted Basement: A Party to Die For’

Travail is known for providing its guests with unique dining experiences, but nothing can prepare people for what’s in store when you walk down to the basement bar.

“Spooky, spooky experience downstairs this year in the haunted basement bar,” said Mike Brown, Travail’s chef and co-owner.

Brown and his Travail team have transformed the basement into a space that’s all things creepy, kooky, mysterious and ooky. It’s to set the stage for a dinner theater experience called, “Haunted Basement: A Party to Die For.”

“Dinner theater at its best,” Brown said with a maniacal laugh.

Travail Chef and Co-owner Mike Brown fires up a chainsaw.

This year, Travail has partnered with the nonprofit arts organization the Haunted Basement whose artists specialize in horror.

“We’ve connected with them and we’ve created an experience that is not only spooky and scary, but quite delicious,” Brown said.

The experience involves 10 courses of food, paired with five different beverages, prepared and served by “serial killers.”

“So my character’s name is Simon the Sleepover Slayer,” said one of the bar’s staff members as he held up several stuffed animals. “And right here I have my trophies of my victims, and the year that I’ve obtained them.”

This is the third year Travail has done this Halloween-themed promotion, but it’s the furthest they’ve taken the experience, as evidenced by their collection of severed ears hanging over the basement stairs.

“We have many severed ears and we didn’t know the best way to display them, or at least show people that we’ve been collecting for quite some time,” said Brown.

Rumor has it that the ears belong to people who didn’t pay their tab.

Travail’s collection of “severed ears.”

If you’re up to the challenge, this “Party to Die For” runs Wednesdays-Sundays from Sept. 28 to Nov. 4, with a special availability on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

“If you’re down to be scared, if you’re down to be fed and if you like freaky cocktails, come to the basement bar,” Brown said. “The haunted basement bar.”

To enjoy this spooky experience, the basement bar requires pre-ticketed reservations that start at $79, along with an additional $45 to purchase a haunted beverage flight.

Related: Robbinsdale’s Travail Launches Young Chef Training Program

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