Customers have been flocking to Fennville Station Coach & Lounge for classic Italian dishes since May of 2010 when it opened--and it's not just any eatery--it's an old-fashioned rail car turned restaurant.
"It's an extremely unique dining experience," says Dave Barton, Vice President of Fennville Station Fennville Station Dining Coach & Lounge. "You enter a very contemporary lounge and walk down a long corridor to the rail car.
"At the end of the corridor, it's 1940," he says.
Fast forward to 2012. The restaurant added 18 new jobs, between kitchen staff and porters, to the Fennville economy in the past 10 months and Barton says that public response has been overwhelmingly positive.
"Hans Riem is a world-class chef with 50 years of experience in culinary arts," Barton says. "Everything he creates is prepared to order. It's all fresh -- there's not a microwave in the building. It's an extremely unique dining experience."
Riem's gorgonzola puffs and scallop appetizers are a popular draw, as is his veal picatta and an array of specialized desserts that Barton calls "the best in the area."
Favorable reviews in the
Chicago Tribune and the
Grand Rapids Press have boosted business at the young restaurant.
"We've had extremely good response since day one," Barton says.
The restaurant's tableside Caesar salad is a big hit with diners at Fennville Station Dining Coach & Lounge.
"It's worth coming just to watch chef Hans make a salad at the table," Barton says. "It's quite the production."
Writer, Kelle Barr, Second Wave
Source: Dave Barton, Vice President, Fennville Station Dining Coach & Lounge
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.