Schreiner’s Restaurant is a Labor Day love story
It’s 10 p.m. on a Sunday and Paul Cunningham is mopping the floor at Schreiner’s Restaurant, a landmark Fond du Lac eatery along I-41 that generations of southeastern Wisconsin residents have widely regarded as the gateway to the Northwoods.
Cunningham has been at work since 9 a.m. But he has little choice. He is the owner of the restaurant, and the floor needs to be mopped. But he does not have
the staff to do it for him late on a summer Sunday night.
Alas, this Labor Day weekend will be a bittersweet one for Cunningham.
On one hand, he is sincerely and deeply grateful for the staff he has at Schreiner’s.
Twenty-nine Schreiner’s crew members have been employed at the restaurant for more than 20 years, including four who have worked there for more than 40 years.
A moment of full disclosure here: My family has been stopping to dine at Schreiner’s on the way “up north” since I was a kid. My late father used to joke that his minivan was preprogrammed to exit the highway at Schreiner’s. (At least, I think he was joking.) And although I’m no Carol Deptolla, I heartily recommend the restaurant’s clam chowder, iced cinnamon rolls, apple pies and coffee.
The dedicated employees at Schreiner’s have been serving up comfort food to more than 500,000 guests per year since 1938.
The restaurant industry is notorious for staff turnover. So, how does Schreiner’s retain multiple generations of families as loyal employees?
“Love. Absolutely. Love is the right word,” Cunningham says with a shrug when asked that question.
“The family relationship is so good, it actually extends to our guests,” says Joan, Cunningham’s wife and vice president at the company.
The Cunninghams bought the restaurant from founders Albert and Regina Schreiner in 1992. Cunningham started as an employee there in 1969 at age 15.
“We work so closely with one another. It’s a family,” says Nathan Haupt, the Cunninghams’ son-in-law who married their daughter Marcia. Haupt is the general manager of Schreiner’s, and Marcia is the office manager. They stand in line as the next generation to own the restaurant.
The family’s love for its workforce clearly is not unrequited. Edna Karl, a 77-year-old busser who clears tables, has worked at Schreiner’s for 28 years. She’s still working nearly 40 hours per week.
“They just have been such wonderful people to work for. This is my family,” says Karl, bursting into tears as she shares that her husband, Richard “Thunder” Karl, had passed away in December after a lengthy illness. “They’re just so nice. They make me feel loved. And needed. And wanted.”
You now know the “sweet” side of this Labor Day story. What about the “bitter”?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Fond du Lac County slipped to 2.4% in May, making it increasingly difficult to find summer workers — any workers, let alone the special, conscientious staffers Cunningham seeks at Schreiner’s.
That reality left Cunningham with two painful options: He could lower his standards and hire anyone who applied to work at his cherished restaurant, or he could cut back on the hours his restaurant is open to maximize the use of the dedicated staff he has on board.
He opted for the latter. Starting this month, Schreiner’s will continue serving breakfast and lunch throughout the week, but it will be closed for dinner every day except Thursdays and Fridays.
“We’re trying to make a little lemonade out of lemons. This is about sustainability,” Cunningham says. “We are so blessed. Our staff is adjusting to what we need.”
“You have to adapt, or you’re going to die,” Haupt says.