Updated Shack Restaurant in Superior reopens today

• Shack Restaurant

Robert Reedy, one of the new servers at the re-created Shack, cleans tables in the restaurant in preparation for today’s reopening at 7 a.m. after five months of remodeling. (Shelley Nelson / snelson@superiortelegram.com)

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When Trudy Bergren started working at the Shack Restaurant in 1980, she liked the refinement of the eatery that got its start as a supper club.

A native of Germany, she was accustomed to tablecloths and flowers on the table, and the refined dining atmosphere.

But 32 years later, she said the Superior restaurant needed to change to keep attracting new customers.

She might not have made a million dollars serving the people who walked through the Shack’s doors, but she said she had the honor of meeting that many people. She hopes to increase that wealth in a more contemporary atmosphere.

That change is coming at 7 a.m. today, when the Shack reopens for a more casual dining experience.

After an extensive remodel of the bar area that now includes a portion of the old banquet facilities, the Shack aims to appeal to a contemporary crowd.

Bergren can’t wait to see customers — “friends” — she’s met over the years again, but she also is looking forward to making new ones with the restaurant’s new look and feel.

“We just couldn’t shake that old supper club image,” said owner Seth Oliver, who closed the restaurant in July to accommodate the remodeling project designed to improve flow and modernize the ambience.

Changes in the kitchen and beverage stations were designed to provide quicker service. People are busier today, Oliver said, and they might not have time to spend an hour in a restaurant. They also don’t want to get dressed up to go out to dinner, he said.

“This will be a place they can stop on their way home from work,” Oliver said.

And when they do, they will be greeted by familiar faces as well as 18 new and enthusiastic servers who spent a week in training and putting the final touches on the newly re-created but familiar spot.

Diane Munger, a 16-year veteran of the Shack, said she’s been thrilled to hear the enthusiasm of the new staff as they learned how to serve customers well.

Munger is excited for the opportunity to serve in the remodeled Shack. “The restaurant will be open until 10 p.m., and the bar menu will run to midnight,” she said.

The menu is new as well. While plans include entrees, Oliver said there will be more options for sandwiches, salads and pizza.

“We’ll have the best breakfast menu,” Oliver said. During the five months the Shack was closed, Oliver said he and the restaurant’s chefs traveled every Wednesday to eateries throughout the region and Twin Cities to create the best breakfast menu in the region.

Everything the restaurant serves, from sauces to entrees, will be made on site.

There are still many things the Shack’s old customers can still appreciate.

“Trudy will be here until she says she’s had enough,” Munger said. “And she doesn’t forget anyone.”

And Bergren is looking forward to making new friends in a restaurant that once reminded her of the refinement of her native country.

“We’ve got to look to the future,” Bergren said.

Tags: news, superior, food, restaurants