MENASHA (NBC 26) — Mihm's Charcoal Grill has been around Menasha since 1958, and briefly closed last summer, but thanks to some local residents, it is back in business.
“Came in here and really got a cool feeling for it. Started talking with the owners and six months later we closed on it and here we are,” said Ryan Bergner, co-owner of Mihm’s Charcoal Grill.
Ryan Bergner and Amber Hamilton are entrepreneurs at heart. They wanted to buy something in the area and loved the stories behind Mihm's.
“We're generational so people come in and say my grandma, my grandpa, my great grandpa have been coming here since the 50s,” said Bergner.
That's not the only story that's stuck. The story behind a sign in the restaurant that reads “We will not serve Coca Cola,” has spanned decades.
“A Coke rep came in and said that if you don't serve Coke, you'll never make it. Now, 64 years later, here we are,” said Bergner.
I spoke to a customer who's been coming here for 11 years about what makes him come back.
“Oh, the food… the food is good," said customer George Haen. "You can actually see it being cooked right there. There are no places like that around here at all."
Haen is right.
“We're known for an open charcoal grill. One of the only ones in the Fox Valley that has an open charcoal grill,” Bergner said.
The open charcoal grill is their claim to fame.
“The last owners coined it; they say it's an outside taste for an inside place,” said Bergner.
The previous owners retired but had a stipulation for selling the business: Everything had to stay the same.
“I mean we're the new guys in town, so we want to keep people happy, we want to keep the recipes the same, we want to keep the same people coming back,” Bergner said.
There has been a line outside the door every day of people waiting for them to open.
“I think our expectations have been met and exceeded for sure,” Bergner said.
The restaurant has limited hours right now but they're planning to expand next week. You can find their hours by searching “Mihm’s Charcoal Grill” or by visiting the Facebook page.
