How supper clubs are keeping the past alive

Wisconsin is known for dairy cows, cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers. This week’s edition of Restaurant Rewind reminds listeners that supper clubs also belong squarely on that list.

This episode of Restaurant Rewind looks at the peculiar institutions that grew out of Prohibition and speakeasies, only to be re-embraced by generation after generation in part because of the nostalgia they pack. You won’t find the latest experiment in molecular gastronomy, but where else can you get all the fried fish you can eat on a Friday night?

Podcast host and Restaurant Business Editor At Large Peter Romeo notes that these places are far from museums. Many enjoy sales volumes that the latest hotspot in New York City or Los Angeles would envy, in part because of their brisk drinks business. They’re proof that special-occasion dining is still alive and well in a part of the country that’s best known for cheese.