Schuler's still trades on its homestyle flavor

By DOUGLAS J. LEVYThe Daily Oakland Press
Web-posted Sunday, April 4, 2004
Reprinted with permission

Hans Schuler (from left) and sons Jonathan and Larry Schuler at Schuler's Restaurant in Marshall. -The Daily Oakland Press / DOUGLAS J. LEVY

One of the things that gives the original Schuler's restaurant its "Distinctive Dining" subtitle is philosophy.

Inscribed on the beams inside the dining room at the Marshall eatery are quotes from "the pens of celebrated men," which serve as conversation pieces for the guests enjoying their lunch or dinner.

And as the legendary restaurant celebrates its 95th year in business, one of those quotes stands out among the others: "It's not how much, but how well."

Not surprisingly, it comes from Winston "Win" Schuler, the man who in 1934 shaped what Schuler's would become known for across the state and the country. The Bar-Scheeze cheese spread brought visitors in, and Win Schuler's knack for remembering visitors' names and blanketing them with hospitality kept them coming back.

"Certainly, times have changed a great deal, and our success has come from being able to evolve with the times," says Hans Schuler, 66, the restaurant's CEO and third-generation patriarch.

"It really comes back to people wanting to feel connected with the past in a place where they feel comfortable and where they feel welcome. And that's always been our tagline when we say 'Welcome to Schuler's.' Because we welcome you here as family."

That aspect has helped attract patrons from in- and out of state, with a large number from Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. It's about 120 miles from Detroit, and drivers going west on Interstate 94 will see the billboards with the script Schuler's logo between Jackson and I-69.

It was proclaimed a Michigan Historical Landmark Site in 1977, earned the Governor's Ambassador of Tourism Award in 1986 and has won several AAA Michigan awards.

The spot was started by Albert Schuler Sr. in 1909 as a cigar store and lunch counter. He purchased the adjoining Royal Hotel in 1924, then son Win Schuler added a bowling alley to the complex in 1940. Five years later, the lanes were closed and two new dining rooms were added.

But it was in 1952 that the Win Schuler's signature was carved in stone, or, rather, dairy.

Bar-Scheeze, the famed cheese dip, was developed to give diners something to enjoy as soon as they sat down at the table or bar. In 1968, 10 years after he joined the family business, Hans Schuler refined the spread and brought it to supermarkets.

Ageless wisdom

Another of the quotes from the beams is from President Truman: "A man cannot leave a better legacy to the world than an educated family." Hans Schuler's son Jonathan understands the meaning.

"Growing up, I never realized the education I was getting," says the 36-year-old. "And I know my brother (Larry) can say it, too, we worked every job in the restaurant, with maybe one or two exceptions. And it's an education we really appreciate now."

But when it came time to pick a career, Jonathan Schuler didn't want the restaurant life to be his life. He tried investment advising, law, steel sales, house painting, anything but cooking - and "I bombed at everything."

When he enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College's culinary school to pass the time between career decisions, it was inevitable where he'd end up - back in the kitchen.

"It was what I was meant to do, it was my calling, however you want to describe it," he recalls. "I'd danced around it for years until it hit me over the head."

He's now the executive chef of Dana Corp.'s food service in Kalamazoo, but spent 1 1/2 years working with Hans Schuler to make the recently released "Schuler's: Fresh Recipes & Warm Memories," which chronicles the restaurant's history and offers more than 150 recipes. One favorite is the prime rib; 21,000 pounds of it is served annually.

"We had a Culinary Olympic chef working for us once," Hans Schuler recalls, "and he said, 'Well, Hans, we have to get rid of prime beef because people aren't going to be eating beef anymore.'

"And then the Atkins Diet came out ..."

The restaurant's busiest day of the year is Mother's Day, in which more than 1,600 people are served; Easter is the second busiest at 1,400. About 150 marriage proposals take place there, too.

"It's just a thrill to us that the special occasions in people's lives are entwined in ours," Jonathan Schuler says.

A unique experience

Though there were offshoot Schuler's restaurants in Jackson, Ann Arbor and St. Joseph, all of which have since closed, there are no plans to open up any more. However, Hans' other son, Larry, 44, owns and operates Schu's, a brew pub and bistro overlooking Lake Michigan in St. Joseph.

Schuler's remains an American rarity, as it's in its fourth generation and is still family-owned. But some of the people involved in making Schuler's what it is don't have the Schuler surname. A fair number of the employees, and their families, have been a part of Schuler's, too - some as long as 50 years.

And brothers Jonathan and Larry, who both have children, know they'll be facing the question of whether the fifth generation will be a part of it. But one already has a hunch.

"As both of my daughters (18 and 12) are getting older, they're getting more and more interested in the restaurant business," Jonathan Schuler says. "So I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree after all.

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