Tastes & Tastemakers | Buck & Honey’s
Written by Dave Fidlin
After immersing himself in the financial industry for a period of his professional life, restaurateur Tom Anderson felt a calling to go back to his roots and make his mark on the Madison area with an establishment that provided heaping doses of hospitality, flavorful dishes, and memorable ambiance.
Buck & Honey’s, which opened its flagship Sun Prairie location in 2010, has stood out in the Madison area’s crowded restaurant scene with the key ingredients Tom says diners crave. Since its inception, three additional locations have opened in Monona, Waunakee and, most recently, in Mount Horeb.
“The restaurant world has always been in my blood,” Tom, a native of Lake Delton, says. “I grew up working six days a week in the Dells.”
While Buck & Honey’s has a taste of the modern flare patrons enjoy in today’s dining scene, history is also interspersed throughout the restaurant at each location—down to the name itself.
The establishment is named in honor of Buck and Honey Birkinbine, who had previously farmed and owned all of the land at the original Sun Prairie location before the site transitioned to a commercial development.
“They were big stewards of the community, and great people,” Tom says. Reflecting on the earliest days of establishing the restaurant, Tom recalls, “We got to meet them. Buck was in a nursing home; Honey was still alive, at home. Buck showed me all of these old photos of his family and his farmland. It just seemed too good to be true not to name the restaurant after our namesakes.”
There is a connective tissue between all four Buck & Honey’s locations, but each site also has its own unique personality that reflects the specific community. Waunakee, situated against a cornfield, has a rustic theme, while Mount Horeb pays homage to the site’s history as one of the earliest John Deere farm implement buildings.
“All of the (locations) celebrate their own history,” Tom says. “It’s really important to us that we do that for each community.”
The Monona eatery, by contrast, overlooks the Yahara River and Monona Park and features 23 boat slips. It also happens to be the largest Buck & Honey’s amongst the four locations. The Monona site, at the connection point between Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa, has a rich history, in terms of water navigation.
“In Monona, there was Inland Boats,” Tom says. “They used to actually make these boats in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s on our exact site. We celebrate Inland Boats in Monona. It’s just a great spot for lake life.”
Since laying roots in the Madison area a decade-and-a-half ago, Buck & Honey’s has attained a number of awards and nominations, based on patron feedback. For instance, Buck & Honey’s has been a winner in Madison Magazine’s “Best of Madison” competition on several occasions, most recently in 2024.
In explaining the mission behind Buck & Honey’s, Tom says he aspires to give diners an environment where they feel comfortable and at home as soon as they sit down at any of the four locations.
“We have an amazing team that cares about each other,” he says. “We care about the guest experience, and we focus on what’s important, and that includes how a guest feels when they leave. We use the phrase, ‘Celebrating Wisconsin hospitality.’”
His personal focus is perhaps best personified through the other people at the helm of day-to-day operations, many of whom are family members. For instance, Tom’s sister, Aimee Anderson, serves as Director of Operations and says she considers it a blessing to work alongside her brother.
“We just have a relationship where we can bounce things off of each other,” Aimee says. “We lost our father when we were in our early 20s, and he kind of took me under his wing after that and has always been a huge supporter of mine. It’s been great to work side-by-side with him everyday. I know my parents are looking down on us and going, ‘Wow! It’s pretty amazing that they get to do this together.’”
Beyond immediate family, other seasoned professionals have lent their talents to Buck & Honey’s. Executive Chef Sam Millan, a native of Ixtapa, Mexico, says he has felt at home at Buck & Honey’s since first joining the team in the early days in 2010.
In explaining the menu, Sam says, “It’s a lot of Wisconsin, a lot of comfort food. That means a lot of pasta, and the cheese curds.” Sam admits he never had a cheese curd before coming to Wisconsin, but has taken a liking to the Dairyland staple.
Aimee says the menu is sprinkled with foods she and Tom grew up with in Lake Delton. She says, “We brought a lot of things from our childhood—our pizza, a few of our sandwiches, and things like that.”
While there are tried-and-true staples, the menu also features unique flare. Bacon-wrapped dates, flower sprouts, lump crab cakes and chips, and eggamole are a small sampling of some of the unique offerings available.
“The firecracker shrimp is a well-known dish,” Tom says, pointing out one of the notable items on the menu. “It gets ordered at almost every private event. It’s something people ask for a lot.”
In addition to its main dining space at each location, Buck & Honey’s offers on- and off-site catering and on-site spaces for large groups. The Mount Horeb location also offers an event space for weddings.
“We’re throwing a party every day, and this is an escape for people to come out of their daily kitchens, their daily lives, and enjoy a meal and company with others,” Mera Charnecki, Director of Events and Catering, says.
Another important component at Buck & Honey’s is the spirit of giving back to the community whenever possible. Since its inception, restaurant staff has supported various local nonprofit organizations.
“Success is doing our part to help others,” Tom says. “It means a lot to us to give back. We get involved in larger efforts in the community with different organizations. If somebody has a need, and you’re able to help them, that feels good. Yes, of course we’ll help you.”
Aimee adds, “It feels good to be able to contribute to the successes or mission of another company or group that is trying to help people.”
As he looks back to his first 15 years of heading up a small group of restaurants, Tom thinks about a box he has to help organize and collect assorted thank-you cards, notes and letters. The collection of sentiments, he says, is worth their weight in gold.
“Someday, when I’m old, that’s what’s going to matter — it’s that box,” he says. “It reminds us of the impact we had on a lot of people’s lives. That’s why we do this.”
