SEASONAL SIPS. The team at Valley Burger Co. is offering a new experience at its historic Eau Claire location: the Shanty Switch Up. 

Let me be real with you: It’s time to switch it up. Your go-to date night venue and favorite weekend watering hole will be there for you in a few weeks – the Shanty Switch Up won’t be.

Since 2022, Valley Burger’s (1004 Menomonie St., Eau Claire) signature smash burgers, finger-lickin’ hand-cut fries and orange stools have marked the interior of the historic building it calls home. For a very limited time, though, folks will get a brand-new experience through the Shanty Switch Up. 

Exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays from 10pm-1am during the month of December – after regular Valley Burger operational hours – the local restaurant’s team will bring a totally different vibe to the restaurant for its new seasonal series.

Ellie Lahner, Valley Burger’s general manager, said the team has been cookin’ up the Shanty Switch Up series for some time – inspired by other cities’ restaurant scene getting in on holiday fun with various pop-up events. As to how the local eatery would put their own twist on a pop-up, inspiration was all around them. Literally.

As Lahner described, the Shanty Switch Up hearkens back to Eau Claire’s lumber era – which the 1004 Menomonie St. building was once part of.

The building at 1004 Menomonie St., Eau Claire, has a longtime place in the historical fabric of the community. Previously Kaiser Lumber Co.'s office in the 1900s, the building is now host to Valley Burger Co. – and its new series, the Shanty Switch Up. (Photo via Wisconsin Historical Society)

Eau Claire’s Kaiser Lumber Co. – remembered as the city’s last lumber business (1905-1939) – was the successor firm to the Daniel Shaw Lumber Co. and is one of few structures directly tied to the era still standing in the Chippewa Valley. In 2014, its former owners considered razing the building before turning it into a pub, and then selling to the folks who opened Valley Burger in 2022.

Shanty Switch Up attendees can expect a new grub and drink menu once the twilight hours hit, including holiday-inspired cocktails alongside small plates featuring sliders, skewers, dips and more. 

“The food and cocktails will be entirely new and different than Valley Burger’s while keeping the house-made and real ingredients,” Lahner said.

The backdrop for the seasonal sips and eats will also vary from the usual Valley Burger look, Lahner said.

Locals can expect decor in the spirit of the Shanty Switch Up’s namesake plus holiday music and movies, with additional games and themes for to encourage dressing up for the occasion. (The Dec. 13-14 events are "Mr. & Mrs. Claus" themed; Dec. 19-20 is "Holiday Move Night" themed.)

“We hope to provide a unique and festive experience with a cool atmosphere,” Lahner said.

Check out the Shanty Switch Up at 1004 Menomonie St., Eau Claire, from 10pm-1am on Dec. 13-14 and Dec. 19-20. The seasonal pop-up series is ticketed at $25/person.

Learn more and snag tickets to the Shanty Switch Up events, which will be hosted at 1004 Menomonie St., Eau Claire, at www.shantyswitchup.com. The seasonal pop-up series is hosted by the Valley Burger Co. team but is intended to be a separate experience from the Valley Burger restaurant.