# For the love of Wisconsin Supper Clubs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 27, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630 "2020-09-27T01:11:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/1 "2020-09-27T01:11:22Z")
Now we moved back to Wisconsin after a 26 year absence. We used to have a cottage in Tomahawk, Wisconsin and knew all the best Supper clubs. These are Brandy old fashioned drinks, relish trays, prime rib on Saturdays. We went to Door county this weekend it Was all there! walleye, prime rib, shrimp, sheesh curds. Mmmmmm ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/2 "2020-09-27T01:19:40Z")
Cheese curds too late to edit ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/3 "2020-09-27T01:28:03Z")
There’s an awesome documentary, “Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club,” which came out a few years ago. I’ve seen it on our local PBS station here in Chicago. Having grown up in Wisconsin, supper clubs are near and dear to my heart. 🙂 > **[Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club](http://www.oldfashionedthemovie.com/)** > > Website for the documentary film Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/4 "2020-09-27T01:51:28Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > These are Brandy old fashioned drinks, relish trays, prime rib on Saturdays. We went to Door county this weekend it > Was all there! walleye, prime rib, shrimp, sheesh curds. Mmmmmm Where in Wisconsin are you? If you’re near Milwaukee, the place you’re looking for is The Packing House. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/5 "2020-09-27T02:22:31Z")
If you pop a state west, we have [Wiederholt’s Supper Club](http://www.wiederholtssupperclub.com/) in the lovely wee town of Miesville, Minnesota. City population of 122. There’s a bank, a gas station, bar, church and supper club. A bump in the road. Yet, if I happen to drive by on a Friday or Saturday night, it’s absolutely packed. I have never had dinner there, but my mom remembers going there in the late 50’s, early 60’s when they’d backroad to LaCrosse. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/6 "2020-09-27T02:48:30Z")
my parents must have eaten at every one between Sheboygan and the Dells in the early 50s; Get all dressed up and go with anotheer couple, and haul me along and make me shut up keep my elbows off the table. I dinn’t know they were Wisconsinana. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/7 "2020-09-27T12:09:46Z")
[https://wisconsinsupperclubs.com](https://wisconsinsupperclubs.com) Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/8 "2020-09-27T12:59:28Z")
I too grew up thinking supper clubs were universal. Here in Sheboygan County I loved dining at Johnny’s, Rupp’s, Hoffman’s at Riverdale, Fin and Feather, and Company F, to name but a few. Road trips around the state led us to Ray Radigan’s and the Pyramid. Along with countless others whose names escape me. It’ll be a treat to go back to a supper club once this covid PITA is over. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/9 "2020-09-27T15:53:43Z")
How Wisconsin am I? When we took our dates out for dinner before the Homecoming dance in high school, we went to a supper club (The River’s Bend, in Green Bay). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/10 "2020-09-27T16:10:26Z")
For the benefit of us, the untutored masses, what distinguishes a supper club from any other type of dining establishment? The only time I’ve ever heard of one, it was when John Cleese and Maggie Smith recommended one to Kermit and Piggy. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/11 "2020-09-27T16:18:08Z")
The link that @kitap shared has a pretty good summary. Others will add to this, but the general characteristics of a Wisconsin supper club are: - It’s a bar and sit-down restaurant, nearly always family-owned - Drinks are focused on beer, and brandy-based cocktails (Brandy Old Fashioneds, Brandy Alexanders) - Relish trays, cheese and crackers, and deep-fried cheese curds as key appetizers - Menu has both dinners and sandwiches, with certain daily specials (most importantly, and invariably, a fish fry on Fridays) - Typically a “north woods” decor, often with wood paneling, and stuffed fish and deer heads on the walls Also, note that, despite the name, they aren’t actual clubs, and anyone can dine there. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/12 "2020-09-27T16:22:35Z")
Also, this 2015 article from the Chicago Tribune (probably paywalled) has some truisms about Wisconsin supper clubs: > [@](#): > > **Truism No. 1:** _Supper clubs are associated with road trips and vacations, with many restaurants overlooking a lake or forest clearing, situated on the outskirts of town, or located in some out-of-the-way place that connotes distance from home. Loyalties to a supper club span generations._ > [@](#): > > **Truism No. 2:** _A $30 entree at a supper club is not a $30 entree in downtown Milwaukee or Chicago._ > [@](#): > > **Truism No. 3:** _The menu consists of old reliables prepared simply — typically prime rib, steaks, fried and broiled fish, roast duck. There should be a relish tray._ > [@](#): > > **Truism No. 4:** _Supper clubs are a dying breed._ > **[Defining Wisconsin’s supper club culture](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/11/17/defining-wisconsins-supper-club-culture/)** > > My brother-in-law Nick is Kenosha’s proudest son. When I mentioned stopping by Mars Cheese Castle, I spied his subtle “oh, my naive friend” shake of the head. He steered me a few … ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/13 "2020-09-27T16:29:37Z")
Yeah, here in SoCal,we just call those “restaurants.” Family-owned ones being rare notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/14 "2020-09-27T16:37:34Z")
So it’s just sort of a restaurant style, like Coney Islands in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/15 "2020-09-27T16:47:21Z")
My guess is it’s more than that. We moved Midwest from NYC/New England and I can’t find any place that’s a diner. I can find restaurants that serve similar food, and even a somewhat similar atmosphere, but it’s not a _diner_. So, I’m guessing there is is some intangible quality that makes a restaurant a supper club. Now that I’m here in Chicagoland, I’m intrigued! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/16 "2020-09-27T16:59:46Z")
Point taken. But we laid-back moondoggie-types even consider “diners” to be “restaurants.” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/17 "2020-09-27T17:07:55Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > sheesh curds > [@eenerms](#): > > Cheese curds too late to edit Couple more brandy old fashioned and you’ll be ordering another plate of sheesh curds. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/18 "2020-09-27T17:09:18Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Couple more brandy old fashioned and you’ll be ordering another plate of sheesh curds. Ope! I said “sheese curds.” Cri-hey! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/19 "2020-09-27T17:35:51Z")
I’ve been to this one in Wausau a few times, though sadly it has since closed. It definitely had a wood panel and cocktails feel. > **[THE 10 BEST Restaurants in Wausau - Updated February 2023 - Tripadvisor](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60370-Wausau_Wisconsin.html)** > > Best Dining in Wausau, Wisconsin: See 6,584 Tripadvisor traveler reviews of 150 Wausau restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630/20 "2020-09-27T17:47:31Z")
I like that it’s located on Rib Mountain Drive. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-love-of-wisconsin-supper-clubs/921630.md?page=2)