Kohl, Clinton stood up city’s German eateries

Hosting the “Sausage Summit” of President Bill Clinton and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was a big get for Milwaukee in May 1996 — but not for everybody in Milwaukee.

With the presidential summit and a rally in Pere Marquette Park on N. Old World 3rd St., it was considered likely that the two leaders would stop at one of Milwaukee’s German-heritage landmarks.

The landmarks were ready, the Journal Sentinel’s Jan Uebelherr and Dennis Getto reported in a May 23, 1996, story published the day of the event.

Mader’s German Restaurant, 1041 N. Old World 3rd St., was decked out in the colors of the German flag: red, black and yellow.

“It’d be very, very easy for them to walk over,” Victor Mader said.

Usinger’s Famous Sausage, at 1030 N. Old World 3rd St., was ready, too, as were other spots in or near downtown, including John Ernst Cafe, Karl Ratzsch, Historic Turner Hall Restaurant and Mimma’s Cafe.

But the presidential party opted to have lunch after the rally at Miss Katie’s Diner, 1900 W. Clybourn St., leaving Old World 3rd St.’s Old World denizens with “long faces,” the Journal Sentinel reported on May 24, 1996.

“Kind of a shock to all of us,” Mader told the Journal Sentinel.

At John Ernst, 600 E. Ogden Ave., not only did neither Clinton nor Kohl show up, hardly anyone else did, either. According to the Journal Sentinel’s Jan Uebelherr and Jackie Loohauis, they were calling it “The Day John Ernst’s Stood Still.”

“That’s what we’ll have to call it,” said John Ernst owner Jim Lindenberg. “… I think the publicity scared off a lot of people. People were afraid they couldn’t get in here.”

John Zizzo, plant manager of Usinger’s Famous Sausage, said the plant had been “on red alert for a week” after the Secret Service indicated the leaders might visit, and had even made up a tray of Westphalian ham, schwartenmagen (headcheese), landjaeger and other sausages in case they stopped by.

“But a disappointed Zizzo could only watch as the speeches in the park concluded and the presidential motorcade headed west on State St.,” the Journal Sentinel wrote.