Some U.P. entrepreneurs are doing what it takes to build in the restaurant business in the U.P., creating new chains out of successful restaurants.
You probably begin dinners, if you like appetizers, with a bubbling artichoke dip--or maybe some hummus. Shrimp cocktail. An egg roll. Guacamole and chips, something like that, right?
Let's take a stab at what's on the plate for the main course--Alfredo pasta with breadsticks, perhaps, or a juicy New York strip and loaded potato. A burrito with refried beans. Some spicy Kung Pao. A Cobb salad. A big burger. Standard dinner fare.
The usual is not what customers order, though, when they take a seat at
Das Steinhaus in downtown Marquette. And it's far from what they get.
"This is a true German restaurant and people come to eat traditional German and European food," says executive chef Justin Fairbanks, who co-owns Das Steinhaus with its bar manager, David Cappaert.
Yes, there's a German restaurant in Marquette. And the 50-seat eatery is so packed, sometimes, that they are forced to turn people away. It has been since the doors opened only a year ago.
"We had a great year," says Fairbanks. "The community has embraced this. They responded really well to a different type of cuisine, and they can't get it anywhere else near here. The closest German restaurant is in Copper Harbor. That's a three-hour drive."
So let's talk about appetizers again. What might you begin your meal with at Das Steinhaus? It could be kasespatzle, a starter that Fairbanks creates by marrying bacon, cheese and caramelized onions. Or a cheese plate with fresh bread, butter and apples. Fresh fare is a hallmark.
"Our biggest focus is the local economy when it comes to buying ingredients--produced or grown in Marquette whenever we can and meats from animals raised in the U.P.," says Fairbanks. "That is one of our biggest sources of pride--I want to see just what we can do with what we have in our own backyard."
Lunch or dinner created from that metaphoric backyard might be bratwurst served with sauerkraut and mustard. Weiner schnitzel, Jaeger schnitzel and sauerbraten are probably the most requested meals, and a few more familiar dishes dot the Das Steinhaus menu, too, like a grass-fed flank steak and a pan-seared blackened salmon. Wash 'em down with a specialized cocktail or a beer from a roster of 30.
Fairbanks, 27, studied culinary arts and business management at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, but his love of German food comes straight from his childhood table.
"I'm half German and I was raised on sausage, sauerkraut, potatoes, that kind of thing. I love it. I love to visit the country, I love its people. I love German food."
So do his customers. In fact, there's been such support that the owners are planning another new restaurant in Marquette. Expansion. Already? You heard right.
The two just purchased a 30-acre farm in Marquette so they can grow their own cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes for use in the restaurant. And their very young, only child of a German restaurant is about to become a sibling.
"We're in negotiations to buy a building in town [Marquette] and open another one. We are at capacity here. I mean, I know that turning people away means that we're doing well, but this building is twice the size of the restaurant we have now. We'll be able to seat more customers," Fairbanks says. "Not only that, but we want to expand into catering, increase our brand visibility, and keep growing."
Expansion in the ethnic cuisine arena isn't brand new to the area. Businessman Dan Torres--unavailable for comment--opened his first Border Grill restaurant, supplying Mexican food to Marquette in 1997. Today there are three; two in Marquette and another in Negaunee, serving burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, salads, soups and more. Vegan and gluten-free meals are readily available and
Border Grill caters events.
David Cappaert and Justin Fairbanks have developed a business formula that has worked incredibly well for them.
So they're taking their recipe on the road.
Just down the road, actually. They hope to open their second restaurant as soon as January 2014. Fairbanks predicts it will add revenue streams for its owners, add jobs to the city's economy and--of course--crank out more German cuisine to Marquette's hungry locals and visitors.
Everyone wins.
Jeff Barr is a freelance writer who has lived in Michigan for more than 46 years. He can be reached by email at jeffbarr88@gmail.com or on Twitter, @jeffbarr88.