Customers love the tried and true at Schuler's

The Kalamazoo Gazette
Originally published Thursday, April 22, 2004
Reprinted with permission
bwood@kalamazoogazette.com

The urban part of me rails against the staid, white bread, old country club atmosphere of Schuler's Restaurant and Pub in Marshall.

The menu's Barbecue Meatballs ($6.50), Artichoke and Crab-stuffed Mushroom Caps ($7.95) and Gulf Shrimp Cocktail ($11) are such old and tired restaurant items that I couldn't bring myself to order any of them.

But in all fairness, the 95-year-old-restaurant -- the oldest in Michigan -- is making attempts to stay abreast with the times. The menu has modern items such as Maple Glazed Salmon ($20), Grilled Loin Pork Chops glazed with a chipotle chile sauce ($20.75) and London Broil marinated in apple juice, soy sauce, ginger and mushrooms ($21).

In the end, it was hard not to like Schuler's. Staffers made us feel special. They carried out every little request. They had answers to questions. They smiled. They complimented. They hustled.

All of this was especially noticeable to our kids. Kids who eat at Schuler's get the impression that going out to dinner is a big deal. That says a lot these days when families go out to eat once or twice a week.

My family had an unexpected adventure when we visited Schuler's on a recent Monday night. As we ate our meal, a guy at the next table broke out in song on several occasions. It was odd but interesting because the guy truly could carry a tune. Turns out the gentleman, Jim Shea, was celebrating his 94th birthday with his family.

The family couldn't finish the birthday cake that Schuler's pastry chef Terri Topliss made for them. Family members spotted our kids. They gave us half the 10-inch white cake, which had chocolate mousse filling and butter cream frosting. Then the kids volunteered to sing "Happy Birthday" to Shea -- in the middle of the restaurant. People clapped.

Sweets kept on coming as the host gave us a batch of cookies to go to repay the girls for their song. And because we were there to investigate the fare, we ordered more desserts, including the house-made Malt Ice Cream ($5.50), the Belgian Chocolate Mousse ($6) and children's sundaes, which come with children's meals.

One of the children's sundaes arrived at the table with such a stunning presentation that our daughter, who ordered the mousse, changed her mind and asked for one. The sundaes are served with little bowls of M&Ms, gummy bears, chocolate sauce and raspberry sauce.

Schuler's is a wonder. It has remained popular for so long in part because of where it is located, close to I-94 and I-69, halfway between Lansing and Fort Wayne and halfway between Detroit and Chicago. It's a good meeting place for families spread through the region. It also is the preferred restaurant for bus tours. About 10 bus-loads of people stop at the restaurant to eat every month, said owner Hans Schuler.

The service is so good because much of the staff has been at the restaurant for 20 years or more, which is highly unusual in the restaurant world.

"We say, 'Welcome, we've been waiting for you,'" Schuler said. "That's the key. The hospitality is the key. It's the team effort, the communication between the front and the back of the house, and it is continual. I'm proud of our gang."

Ironically, Schuler's has become a victim of its own success. Some customers are so attached to menu items such as the meatballs and stuffed mushroom caps that they would get upset if management did away with the food items.

Schuler's unique combination of old and new menu selections is reflected in a new cookbook, "Schuler's: Fresh Recipes & Warm Memories" (Huron River Press, $35). And on the day we visited, one of the new cookbook dishes, Center Cut Pork Chops with a Dijon Cream Sauce, was featured as a special, so we tried it. It tasted OK but was our least favorite selection.

We all raved over the rest, Great Lakes White Fish ($21) sauteed with butter, white wine, capers and lemon, and Maple Glazed Salmon ($20), which is baked and served with apple and pecan salsa. The salsa was especially pleasing, with bits of Ida Red apples, maple-glazed toasted pecans, roasted red peppers, onions all mixed with apple cider, cilantro, honey and oil.

© 2004 Kalamazoo Gazette.

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