Bud’s: A tale of two comfort zones

For many customers, a visit to Bud’s evokes warm feelings and memories of a comfortable, familiar place – real or imagined – that they loved to escape to back in their childhood days. During the holidays, those feelings are intensified as Bud’s greets them with twinkling Christmas tree lights and gingerbread men, a roaring fire in the big fieldstone fireplace, and the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee wafting through the air.

MEMORIES AND A VISION

For Sue Bowen, it was the desire to recapture and recreate this kind of nostalgic experience – not just at the holidays, but year-round – that moved her nearly a decade ago to purchase the original Bud’s Resort Service, which had been an Interlochen landmark since the 1950s. As a child, and later as an adult, it was her family’s first stop when they came up from downstate to their summer vacation home in Interlochen. They didn’t feel like they were Up North until they had been to Bud’s for their freshly baked doughnuts or pies, gas for their boat, and bait for fishing.

“Sue got to know the owners, Bud and Grace Schroeder, over the years, and when they decided to put the property up for sale, she bought it,” said Toni Turczyn, general manager of the current Bud’s. “Their place had been kind of a comfort zone for Sue’s generation, and she wanted to recreate a new comfort zone for another generation. She asked Bud at the time if she could use his name for her new venture, because she wanted to honor his legacy, and he gave her his blessing.” Bowen’s vision was larger than the existing business, however, and the old structure turned out to be unusable, so she ending up building her incarnation of Bud’s from the ground up.

Unfortunately, Bud Schroeder didn’t live to see the project come to fruition, but he would no doubt be pleased with the outwardly and inwardly welcoming restaurant-cum-gift shop that Bowen opened on the site of his longtime business in May 2008. According to Turczyn, many of his former customers are now regulars at the “new” Bud’s, and gladly share their reminiscences of him when they stop in.

One of them posted an ode to today’s Bud’s online, likening its interior to being in a rustic cabin and being in the woods at the same time. The giant tree just inside the front door certainly sets the tone for that scenario, while cozy wood furnishings and an eclectic array of retro-style “life Up North” artifacts and photos lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling complete it.   

WE ALL SCREAM FOR … SOUP?

A key element in Bowen’s vision was a large ice cream counter offering hand-dipped cones, sundaes, floats, shakes, malts, coolers and sodas – with 16 different flavors to choose from, including rotating seasonal picks (Christmas flavors include spumoni and peppermint stick).

“I think in the beginning, we all expected that the ice cream was going to be the big draw, along with our specialty coffees and house-made pastries, but it turned out to be our food.” said Turczyn. “The restaurant has morphed into something more than I think even Sue imagined it could be.”   

The main menu features soups, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, salads, flatbread pizzas, paninis, wraps and flips (folded naan flatbread with various fillings). That may sound like pretty standard fare, but Bud’s kicks it up more than a few notches by insisting on homemade quality and freshness.

“All of our soups are made daily from scratch, as well as our sauces and dressings. We also make a very good brioche bun, as well as other breads. Our lettuce isn’t from a bag – we bring it in fresh, wash it, and cut it ourselves,” noted Turczyn.

“And we use as many local suppliers and food sources as possible. The family of one member of our team owns Zenner Farms, so we get our tomatoes from them all summer. New customers are often surprised by the quality of the food we serve. We advertise ourselves as ‘fast-casual dining,’ so they might assume that it’s all packaged this and packaged that, but it isn’t that at all.”

Three monthly specials as well as extra seasonal and holiday dishes keep things interesting throughout the year.

“In the fall, during our Oktoberfest celebration, people flock in for our potato pancakes, topped with sour cream and green onion, plus a side of our own apple sauce. And the wintertime, our pot pies are hugely popular – they’re a labor of love, each made individually in little springform pans.”

Some items that have established themselves as menu favorites – and therefore staples – are the Backwoods Burger (beef from Maxbauer Market with melted provolone, grilled baby portabella mushrooms and onions); the Zinger salad (romaine, black bean corn salsa, cheddar jack cheese, tortilla strips, avocado and salsa ranch); the Lakeside sandwich (chicken breast, applewood bacon, havarti, lettuce and tomato with honey mustard on a grilled bun); and the Encore panini (turkey, roasted red peppers, provolone, pesto and avocado mayo on sourdough bread).

“Our breakfast menu is pretty basic, although our coffees and baked goods are anything but basic,” said Turczyn. “Still, we’re trying to come up with some creative ideas to bring more people in for that – we have room for growth there. Some people, even within a five-mile radius, don’t even realize that we serve it.”

A COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE

Turczyn acknowledged that Bud’s is a bit off the beaten path, but added that business is nonetheless steady pretty much year round.

“We of course get staff, parents and students from Interlochen Center for the Arts, as well as visitors who attend their concerts or other special events. In summer, we’ll see big groups of campers approaching – they’re easily recognizable in their uniforms – and we’ll say, ‘The squadrons of blue shirts are coming down!’ As for the rest of our clientele, it’s hard to define. We have people of all ages, and not just from our local region, but from all over the country or even the world. It doesn’t really matter that we’re not in a populous area – our customers find us.”

And, added Turczyn, many of them also find their way back again and again.

“We wanted this to be a community gathering place, and that’s just what has happened,” said Turczyn. “People sit on the covered porch outside to eat and relax in the warmer months, and – in addition to our dining tables and booths – we have couches and chairs around the fireplace here inside where groups come to knit or play games in the fall and winter.”

And then there’s the gift shop, which occupies about a third of the entire floor space – it’s a unique and attractive collection of toys, books, cards, clothing, Michigan-themed wares and more. Maybe an insider tip for last-minute Christmas shopping?

Bud’s is located at 3061 M-137 in Interlochen. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Open Sunday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Live music Mondays and Thursdays. For more information, visit budsisback.com or call 231-276-9090.

Janice Binkert is a freelance writer.

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