Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn
Posted by: 
S5280ft
N 43° 19.587 W 083° 44.408
17T E 277837 N 4800714
Located in the heart of touristville, on the east side of Main Street (M-83). Just look for the crowds.
Waymark Code: WM10RY
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 12/05/2006
Views: 57
Theodore Fischer, a former bartender at the Exchange Hotel (now Zehnder's Restaurant), established the Union House Hotel in 1888. His son Herman and daughter-in-law Lydia are said to have begun the tradition of the "All You Can Eat" family-style chicken dinners served here. The William Zehnder, Sr., family, distant relatives of Fischer, purchased the restaurant in 1950 and continued the chicken dinner tradition. In 1959 the Zehnders extensively renovated, enlarged and redecorated the restaurant in a fantasy Bavarian motif. They also changed the name of the restaurant to the Bavarian Inn. The week-long grand opening celebration held in 1959 in honor of the new addition evolved into the annual Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival.
(SIDE TWO) The village of Frankenmuth began as a German community in 1845. Its first settlers were among the German immigrants who left their homeland because of poor farming conditions and political unrest. Frankenmuth also attracted people who wanted to convert the Indians to the Lutheran faith. The Zehnder family emigrated from Germany in 1846. A family trip back to Bavaria in the 1950s inspired them to redecorate their restaurant in the Bavarian theme. The Bavarian Inn's motif, accented by a fifty-foot-high Glockenspiel, echoes Frankenmuth's German heritage. Over twenty million meals were served at the inn between 1888 and 1988. A record 5,470 meals were served on October 9, 1982. By the 1980s the Bavarian Inn was recognized as one of the ten largest restaurants in the United States.
Historical Name: Theodore Fischer, William Zehnder, Sr.,
Parking nearby?: yes
D/T ratings: 
website: [Web Link]
Registered Site #: Local Site #1577
Historical Date: Not listed
Description: Not listed
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