Destination Des Moines has officially made the decision to not associate with Wally’s restaurant anymore due to public racial discrimination on the family-owners of the restaurant’s behalf.
Since 1993 Wally’s restaurant has been part of the Des Moines community. Many members used to love supporting the local restaurant until secrets of the family’s racist beliefs came out in 2022.
Traditionally greeting customers at the door was Mike Nordean, who had dedicated his life to the restaurant business.
He got his start in high school busing tables at a local DoubleTree Inn, quickly working his way up to bartender and catering manager.
In 1991 he joined his ex-wife’s family to buy a drive-in restaurant in Buckley, Washington, a logging town southeast of Seattle.

Jamie Dueck/THUNDERWORD
Wally’s sign stands along Marine View Drive, advertising their latest menu options.
Two years later they opened Wally’s.
He described himself as moderately conservative — while supporting gay rights and diversity among his staff — but kept his politics out of banter with customers and shunned social media.
During that time, his wife Judy Nordean frequently broadcasted her pro-gun, anti-Muslim and anti-gay views on Twitter.
That being said, Destination Des Moines is a huge advocate for equality in the small town.
Destination Des Moines is a local non-profit organization. Destination Des Moines is behind most, if not all, of the events in the city of Des Moines. A lot of events involve the local shops and restaurants in the area, including Wally’s.
“This is a place where people are meant to feel safe and welcome,” said Tony Hettler, the founder of Destination Des Moines.
Since Monday of last week, Wally’s has been officially removed from the Destination Des Moines bingo card. The bingo card in Des Moines is a list of what businesses/small businesses in Des Moines participate in all local events.
Hettler believes it to be a good choice considering the severity of the Nordeen family’s actions.
Information came out that the owner of Wally’s son is the active leader of the Proud Boys extremist group of Washington state.
Ethan Nordeen, the son of Mike Nordean (the owner of Wally’s) led the Proud Boys group in the U.S. Capitol raid on January 6, 2021.
Not only did he lead the way, but the Proud Boys group was also among the first to reach the U.S. Capitol. In court filings, federal prosecutors described Ethan Nordean as a major figure in the attack.
“The Proud Boys appeared to offer the sort of camaraderie and acceptance that he longed for,” Mike Nordean said.
Ethan Nordean’s rising profile in the Proud Boys “really started to affect the business and the employees,” his father said. “I could sense it in the community,” said Mike Nordean.
Destination Des Moines was not going to take all these actions lightly. The meeting regarding the bingo card and Wally’s was held on Monday, Jan. 23. This meeting included board members and was attended by the Mayor of Des Moines, Matt Mahoney.
By the end of the meeting it was settled, Wally’s is not representing the image of equality acceptance in Des Moines city and the restaurant no longer belongs on the city bingo card.
A few members of the community defended Ethan’s parents, Mike and Judy Nordean, saying they should not be held responsible for the activities of their adult son. But it was found that Judy Nordean perpetuated much of the same rhetoric as her son by publicly posting racial slurs and anti-gay tweets dating back to 2018.
Destination Des Moines decided that associating with a family like the Nordeans would not only go against everything they stand for, but it would also hurt the community they love dearly.
The Wally’s restaurant is still open to the public, but it will no longer be a part of any Destination Des Moines sponsored or hosted events.