Workingman's Friend

The Workingman's Friend was founded in 1918 by Louis Stamatkin, a Macedonian immigrant who opened a lunch counter called The Belmont Lunch to serve Indianapolis railroad and factory workers. The establishment earned its lasting nickname by allowing striking workers to run tabs during labor disputes, and the family renamed it in Louis's honor after his death in 1946. Now in its third generation of family ownership, the cash-only bar has been recognized by Thrillist as home to Indiana's best burgers and similarly praised by Food and Wine magazine in 2022.