June 11, 2025
The newest menu at Union Social helps Francisco Gajardo relive his childhood growing up in northern New Jersey.
“A lot of the food that I do is inspired by where I came from,” said Gajardo, the director of food and beverage at the family entertainment center in Harrisburg that features a bowling alley, axe-throwing lanes and arcade. “It was a very diverse area. You had the Spanish flavors, you had the Italian flavors.”
Photos by Alika Faythe Photography
Gajardo, a native of Chile, lived in New Jersey before moving to Sioux Falls in 2015 to become a partner in Ode to Food and Drinks. He later managed other restaurants and owned the food truck Old Skool Jersey Rippers & Balls. He joined Union Social a couple of months before it opened in November 2024 next to Air Madness on Cliff Avenue.
On Union Social’s new menu, there’s a Cubano sandwich that reminds Gajardo of the one he’d get for $2 at a Cuban bakery on the way to school. He also remembers being in the sweltering kitchen of a friend from Puerto Rico where pork had been cooking since 4 a.m.
Pork that has been braised for nine hours is used in the restaurant’s Mad Cuban and the Chimi Pork Sliders, which have a chimichurri coleslaw.
Italian influences are found in the Hudson Co. Chicken Parm, with Gajardo’s twist of French fries as part of the sandwich, helping the bread soak up the marinara.
New skillet fries are tossed with garlic Parmesan seasoning and topped with marinara and mozzarella before going into the pizza oven “just to get a nice little melt.” They’re sprinkled with Parmesan and fresh parsley and served with crema for dipping.
Another new appetizer is Disco Fries with gravy and American cheese. “Back home, when you went out with friends, you went back to the diner, and you always got some Disco Fries,” Gajardo said.
One of the new lighter offerings is the Chicken Salad Wrap. The kitchen crew brines all the chicken to ensure that it’s never dry. Attention to details like that – butter-toasted bread, a little salt on the tomatoes – matter, he said. That homemade chicken salad also is served on mixed greens for a salad with tomato, cucumber and carrot.
Also new is Prima Pasta with a light alfredo sauce and fresh veggies. Chicken can be added.
The drink menu has new offerings like Italian sodas and a mojito that features rum infused with sugar, mint and lime.
Gajardo is enjoying the chance to help families, friends and business teams create memories at Union Social and to provide a satisfying workplace for employees.
“You want to keep it fresh and keep it fun because if you’re not having fun, what’s the point of doing all this? This place is meant to be fun. That’s the whole vibe here.”
A variety of people come to Union Social. You might find kids celebrating at a birthday party, teenagers playing video games in the arcade, friends throwing axes or enjoying appetizers and drinks, families bowling on the 12 full-size lanes, couples eating dinner or employees of a business having meetings and doing team-building activities.
Several spaces can be rented. On the mezzanine, there are two birthday party/meeting rooms and a large space overlooking the activity on the main floor that can seat 100 guests. Near the axe-throwing area, there’s an indoor patio with picnic tables and artificial hedges that can divide the space for separate groups.
Along with the versatile spaces, event packages can be customized to fit different budgets and tastes, Gajardo said.
“We try to be as versatile and diverse as possible to make sure we can cater to everybody because why not? Harrisburg and the whole area needed something like this.”