A slushie bar born in St. Louis is setting up shop in Des Moines, marking the first time Narwhals Crafted has stepped outside the bi-state region. The fifth location for the frozen cocktail and nacho concept is under construction at 418 E. Grand Avenue in the East Village, and it's expected to open this winter.
The expansion is being led by Angelyn Chleborad, described as Narwhals’ second franchisee, who is bringing the brand to her hometown, according to First Alert 4. Chleborad is a Saint Louis University graduate, the outlet reports, and her Des Moines build-out represents the chain's first location beyond Missouri and Illinois. Construction is already underway at the East Grand Avenue site.
Timing on the opening isn't entirely settled. While First Alert 4 reports the location is expected to open this winter, KCCI reports Narwhals Crafted has said it plans to open toward the end of the year, though no exact date has been announced.
A Full Food Menu, Finally
What sets the Des Moines outpost apart from its Missouri and Illinois siblings is food. Per the same First Alert 4 report, this will be the first Narwhals Crafted location to feature a full food menu, and it's built entirely around nachos.
That menu is modeled after Loaded, the sister brand concept operating at the Streets of St. Charles, the station notes. Loaded: Elevated Nachos is a fast-casual concept from Narwhals Crafted owners Brandon Holzhueter and Brad Merten, as Feast Magazine has reported. The idea reportedly took shape not long after Holzhueter and Merten opened their first Narwhal's Crafted location in Midtown back in 2016, according to St. Louis Magazine, and the concept was further developed after the pair opened a second Narwhal's location in St. Charles in 2019.
Loaded eventually opened its own standalone space at 1450 Beale Street in the Streets of St. Charles on February 11, 2021, according to a release from Cullinan Properties, occupying a 1,400-square-foot space. Its menu there features 10 different elevated nacho dishes, including options like Marty's Reuben, Jamaican Jerk and The Mediterranean, per Feast Magazine. Loaded operates as a physically separate business from Narwhal's, connected only by a pass-through order window that lets customers at one spot order from the other, St. Louis Magazine reports.
Zoning Approval and What's on Tap
The Des Moines buildout has already cleared a local regulatory hurdle. The city's Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 7-0 to approve a conditional-use permit for a bar at the East Grand Avenue address, according to Citizen Portal, which reports the permit allows on-premise sales of alcoholic liquor, wine and beer. The proposed space totals 3,766 square feet with a 1,120-square-foot patio, the same report notes.
On the drink side, KCCI reports the Des Moines bar will sell frozen cocktails, smoothies and mocktails — the same frozen-drink formula that built Narwhals Crafted's following back in Missouri. The chain currently operates four locations in Missouri and Illinois, according to Axios, making the Des Moines spot its fifth overall and its first outside that core market.
An Instagram post touting the move framed it as Narwhals Crafted planting “a beautiful flag in Des Moines, Iowa as it eyes a national expansion.” The company's own website confirms that franchising opportunities are available to qualified individuals in other markets, suggesting Des Moines may not be the brand's last stop beyond St. Louis.
