June 8, 2017 at 12:45 p.m.
Lake Tomahawk tradition continues with new owners
Sandy Wendling, Scott Mielkie purchased the Korner Drive-In last year
Lake Tomahawk tradition continues with new owners
"We bought it on May 13," Wendling said. "Friday the 13th."
"We tried to avoid but it still fell on that date," Mielkie said.
Neither had any experience in the food industry prior to that time but they're doing nicely as new owners.
Completely different backgrounds
Wendling and Mielkie received certified food manager licenses from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services through a class at Nicolet College.
"Our backgrounds are completely different from food service," Mielkie said. "I still drive a cement truck for Trapp Brothers in Arbor Vitae. I run the books end of (the drive-in) and I'm here weekends to help. Otherwise, Sandy is pretty much down here all the time."
Before becoming a co-owner of the Korner Drive-In, Wendling was at the Lomira location of Quad-Graphics for 21 years.
"If it wasn't for that job, I wouldn't have this today," she said. "That was at a factory, making magazines."
Wendling said she's known Mielkie since high school and came up for a visit. "He showed me this place and that was it," she said. "I quit there and moved up here."
Changes at the Korner Drive-In since Wendling and Mielkie took over include those on the menu: real bacon for the bacon cheeseburgers, the addition of walleye sticks, honey chicken wings, fish sandwiches featuring beer battered cod, ice cream slushies and cherry sauce for ice cream sundaes, to name a few.
The addition of another machine which makes ice cream swirls enhances the swirl selection.
"Without even advertising it, people have noticed the changes," Mielkie said. "We've received a lot of positive comments."
Another change is the expansion of the season; they open April 1 and don't close until October.
The couple has plans for the future; they own enough land to expand the business, some of that expansion tying in with the winter months.
"We'd like to get a bigger building with seating for the winter time when the traffic is up," Mielkie said. "Definitely in the plans for the future."
A record year and the Smurf cone
Since they took over, business has been really good.
"From what Lee told us about his best year of ownership, we killed that last year," Mielkie said. "I would say based on our sales last year, I'd say we had an all-time record year last year. And that's with the loss of at least three weekends because of weather and power outages and things like that. We did very well considering some of the weather we had at times."
The business closes at 10 p.m. but Mielkie said they'll stay open a little later if necessary.
"If there are people still moving around, we don't just close our doors at 10," he said. "It just depends on what's happening in town."
Mielkie said it's a lot of work but he and Wendling are having fun.
"One little guy asks for the guy who makes the Smurf cones," Wendling said with a laugh.
"That's me," Mielkie said. "I haven't mastered the ice cream cone machine because I'm usually on the grill but I do spectacular Smurf cones."
The "Smurf cone" isn't a regular menu item except when the little boy shows up with his parents.
"They are pretty neat looking," Mielkie said. "But they don't last long. They kind of fall apart."
It started when a child dropped his ice cream cone shortly after it was handed to him at the window by Mielkie.
"I felt bad and made him another one and it came out looking like a Smurf with a Smurf hat," he said. "I told him that's all I can do."
"So now, he requests a Smurf cone," Wendling said, again laughing.
"He says to Sandy, 'Where's that guy who makes the Smurf cone?'" Mielkie said. "So, I come from the grill and make him a Smurf cone."
He said that was all part of what he and Wendling get out of having the Korner Drive-In.
"That's neat when you have little kids like that," Mielkie said. "It creates memories. We're hearing from people who came here when they were little and now bring their kids. We're having a ball."
Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].
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