50 Years for Mode’s Bum Steer

Steaks, staff, and old-school drinks make this restaurant a tradition

By Ross Boissoneau | April 12, 2025

On April 7, 1975, Bob and Anita Mode opened a bar and restaurant that was to bear their name.

A half century later, Mode’s Bum Steer is still going strong, with their daughter Skylar now running the enterprise. That makes it the longest-running family-owned restaurant in Traverse City.

And it looks the part. Walk in the door and you are immediately transported back in time to…the 60s? The mid-70s? Surely no later than that, as the low-slung, comfy swivel dining chairs, the deep reds and greens, the wood accents, low lighting, and Tiffany-style lamps conjure up a feeling of days gone by.

The time travel extends to the bar, not only in its throwback look, but in its customers’ preferences. Bartender Terri “Trixie” Cunningham, a veteran of 25 years, says the resurgence of classic cocktails across the country is reflected at Mode’s—though the question is whether they were ever really out of favor.

“We are definitely known for our Old Fashioneds and martinis. We have this way of serving our martinis in a little sidecar that everyone loves,” she says.

Those drinks have long been a staple of Mode’s. “It was a cocktail lounge with minimal food,” Skylar says of the eatery’s beginnings. “Now it’s more restaurant than bar.”

A Cheers Atmosphere

Mode’s has been Skylar’s life basically since she was born. The family lived above the restaurant the first few years they owned it, which made it easy for Bob and Anita to attend to whatever was needed whenever it was needed. They both worked in the kitchen and the front of the house, meeting and pleasing customers.

Bob passed away in 2007, but Anita still owns Mode’s, and Skylar has been general manager for several years. “I got thrown into the role,” admits Skylar. The good news: “I got it figured out.”

Indeed, Mode’s is still going strong. Since the outset, Mode’s has been a steakhouse, and that’s still the case. The menu boasts six different cuts of steak, seven if you count the six-ounce New York strip (prepared two ways) on the “Lighter Side” menu.

Lighter Side apparently stands simply in contrast to the rest of the menu, which is heavy on meat: Beyond the bevy of steaks, there’s the prime rib, rack of lamb, chicken, duck, and pork alongside eight choices of seafood, plus traditional appetizers like shrimp cocktail and wings, and even a Polish sausage platter.

Its long-standing reputation for steak is one thing, but Mode’s is also known for the longevity of its staff, many of whom have been there for 20, 30, even 40 years.

Cook Dennis Belfry boasts four decades at Mode’s, while Kathy Ivy has been a server for 35 years. “I’ve known Dennis since I was seven,” says Skylar.

Server Debbie Kirt, who like Belfry has been part of Mode’s for four decades, says its family atmosphere among staff and the fact it’s a family-oriented restaurant are a large part of its appeal to her and the other longtimers.

“It keeps me going, it keeps me young. I’m not the future, but I’m not going anywhere,” Kirt says with a laugh. “It’s hard work but fun. It’s an adrenaline rush.”

At the other end of the timeline is Crystal Soto. She was approached by her friend Skylar just a couple years ago, who asked if she’d be interested in hosting a couple nights a week. Soto decided it would be a good complement to working in her family’s commercial painting business.

She too extolls the family atmosphere, saying she was welcomed with open arms. “It’s a great group of people,” she says, including both staff and customers. “There are a lot of regulars you get to know. It’s like Cheers in a way.”

Changing with the Times

While the restaurant has a definite throwback look and feel, there have been some changes over the years.

In the beginning, it didn’t even have an indoor kitchen, which Bob and Anita quickly rectified. The basement was a coal chute before transitioning to a banquet room, while the upstairs transformed from the family home to another dining area; both are now closed as Skylar and her crew concentrate on the core business.

Mode’s also operated two other businesses in Traverse City, McMode’s and Mode’s Center Court Lounge, which were sold in the 1980s.

The atmosphere has evolved, too. “Traverse City was different then,” says Kirt of the early days. When she started, it was common for the after-work crowd—almost exclusively men in those days—to stop in. “The men would come after work for cocktails, every professional in town,” she says.

Things could take a less professional turn at times. Kirt remembers one incident in particular, when someone brought a live Clydesdale horse into the restaurant back in the ’90s when the team was in town for a Budweiser float in the National Cherry Festival parade. “That was the craziest,” she says.

Things have toned down considerably since those days, and Mode’s has kept pace with the changes. It can’t claim the title of the oldest restaurant in town—that honor belongs to Sleder’s, which actually is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the state—but for a half-century, Mode’s has been Mode’s, with its familiar menu and staff. “It’s old-school. We still hand-write tickets,” laughs Skylar.

Through it all, Mode’s has maintained a following locally, as well as welcoming visitors. “Mode’s is still here,” Skylar says proudly.

Still here, still a business, still with the same family after 50 years. That makes it still a tradition.

Find Mode’s Bum Steer at 125 E State St. in Traverse City. (231) 947-9832; modesbumsteer.com