Longtime Saukville eatery changes hands

Joe Bartholomew began working as a dishwasher at Riversedge Restaurant in Saukville 15 years ago and now he is the owner of the longtime eatery, which next month will mark its 50th year serving eggs, bacon and other hearty food to locals.

“It’s been a benefit to have been here for so long otherwise it would have been a little scary to have started fresh,” Bartholomew said. “I’ve pretty much done everything here, from dishwasher to cook. It’s kind of a team effort around here.”

Bartholomew and his wife Laurie took over the eatery at 283 Riverside Dr. on Sept. 7 from Sharon and Danny Theisen, who had owned the breakfast and lunch business since 1996.

“When you’re in the restaurant business, it’s your life. In order for it to work, you have to be committed to the business,” Sharon said. “I’ve been blessed with great employees over all these years.”

Sharon began working at the restaurant when it opened in 1969.

The Theisens began thinking about selling the business several years ago and approached the Bartholomews about the opportunity in late March. Bartholomew, who has worked at the restaurant since graduating from Grafton High School, said he jumped at the opportunity.

“We always kind of knew that one day we would like to own our own restaurant. We weren’t sure when that would be, but the opportunity was knocking on our door,” he said.

The first-time business owners said they are excited and a little nervous about taking over the restaurant, but said the changeover has been smooth.

“We want to make sure we cross all our T’s and dot our I’s, so we don’t miss anything,” Laurie said.

When customers caught wind of the transition, Bartholomew said, they were concerned some of the well-known menu items like deep-fried bacon, homemade bread and chicken dumpling soup would go away.

“The customers have been asking and we’re going to keep things pretty much the same,” he said. “We want to run the business as usual.”

His wife agreed.

“Why would you change something that isn’t broken?” Laurie asked. “We want to give the customers what they want.”

The couple said owning the throwback diner feels nostalgic.  

“It’s an old-school truck stop. People still read the newspaper here when they sit down. It’s pretty awesome,” Bartholomew said, noting the restaurant only takes cash, but it may start accepting credit cards.

In today’s health-conscious society, Sharon said, having not-so-healthy offerings is one of the reasons the customers keep coming back.

“Most of our customers come here for comfort food. They appreciate that it’s still here,” she said.

Bartholomew added that the restaurant has experimented with providing healthier alternatives like fruit, but that wasn’t very popular among the regulars.

Keeping the regulars happy is Bartholomew’s No. 1 priority. He said there are consistently 10 people waiting outside for the doors to open at 4:30 a.m.

“Between the employees and the customers, we’re like a small family and everybody knows your name when you walk in,” he said. “We’re like the show ‘Cheers’ without the beer.”

The Theisens said they will miss seeing their loyal patrons every day, but the couple isn’t exactly going away.

Sharon said she will still show up in the morning to bake 20 loaves of bread and prepare the soups. Her husband Danny will also maintain his role slicing meat.

“In our retirement, we want to enjoy life, but we also want to help out and not just sit at home,” Sharon said.

Their son Josh is a cook and will maintain his role.

While all five of the employees have remained on board, Bartholomew said he wants to hire additional cooks, servers and dishwashers.

Bartholomew said he doesn’t plan on celebrating the change in ownership with a grand opening, but may hold a party for the 50th anniversary next month.

“I want to give all the customers a can of Blatz beer,” Bartholomew said jokingly, noting the restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol. “We’re grateful to be the new owners here and we just want to keep our nose to the grindstone.”