Our Mission and the Supper Club Definition

  So what exactly is a supper club? After countless hours of research we determined that there is no clear cut definition, but there are a number of characteristics that supper clubs share in common. 

   A supper club is an independently owned fine dining establishment. It is often located on the outskirts of town or out in the country, sometimes with a lake or woods view. It is typically family run, passed down from generation to generation. It's not unusual for the owners to live on the premises.  While similar in menu offerings, what makes each supper club unique are the people that run it. As there is usually a family member or owner on site expect a high quality level of service.  

   In the past, as the name implies, supper clubs were only open for supper and possibly Sunday brunch. To compete with today's ever growing number of dining options many are now open for lunch as well.  

   In Wisconsin, supper clubs have been around since Prohibition, serving as roadhouses where gangsters would stop as they transported bootleg Canadian liquor through the state. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, first priority for liquor licenses was given to establishments located outside the city limits that served food.  And so the supper club was born. At their inception, supper clubs served as a one-stop entertainment destination starting with cocktails and dinner followed by more cocktails, live  entertainment and dancing. While some supper clubs today still offer live entertainment, most are strictly dining establishments.

   The typical supper club has a bar room for drinks before and after dinner, and a separate dining area, A pre-dinner brandy old fashioned, preferably hand muddled, is a bar room staple, You can expect a comfortable casual decor with soft lighting and wood paneling. Trophy fish and deer heads may adorn the walls as well as Wisconsin sports memorabilia.  A jackelope is a plus. Furniture often dates back to the 1950s and 60s (expect lots of naugahyde). Televisions may be found in the bar room but seldom in the dining area.  Cloth napkins and tablecloths are common.  

   The typical supper club has a limited menu with affordable prices featuring fish, shellfish, beef and poultry. Most offer nightly specials, Any supper club worth its salt will feature a fish fry on  Friday, prime rib and/or surf and turf on Saturday and chicken dinner on Sunday. Traditionally dinner begins with a relish tray on the table featuring carrots, radishes, cheese spread and a braunschweiger spread with individually packaged breadsticks and crackers. Soup, salad and bread are served at the table followed by the entree. Many supper clubs today now offer a soup and salad bar instead.  Homemade soups, salad dressings and coleslaw are common offerings.  Homemade desserts or ice cream drinks finish the dining experience. If you are still hungry at the end of the evening you most likely were not at a supper club.

   Our mission is to visit 52 supper clubs in 2018 within 52 miles (as the crow flies) of our cottage on the north shore of Lake Poygan in East Central Wisconsin, hopefully without gaining 52 pounds. We will detail our dining experience and a bit of the history of each establishment focusing on what makes it unique. Reader comments are welcome, especially those related to the history and their personal experiences at listed supper clubs.  Our main objective is to eat, drink and have fun. Hopefully some will find the information here useful. If not, no harm done. Let the adventure begin.