MONDAY, JULY 23, 2001
Fostoria restaurant changes hands, then changes some more
By Greta Hale
Staff Writer
It doesn't have a buffet anymore.
That is the biggest surprise to customers when they go to Foster Club, 1307 Perrysburg Road, Fostoria.
That's not all that changed when Gary and Amy Hagen bought Frankie's Best in Fostoria.
The Hagens remodeled it, changed the menu and have changed their customer base.
Foster Club was named after Charles Foster, the founding father of Fostoria. The Hagens reopened it in May after remodeling it, but they have owned the restaurant for one year. They plan on decorating the dining room with Fostoria memorabilia. Amy said they will display items like old newspaper clippings and antiques from when Fostoria was a railroad hub.The new owners want to emphasize that the new restaurant is service-oriented, Amy said. Frankie's Best had a self-serve buffet with a 40-foot salad bar. Most patrons ordered the buffet, Amy said.
The Hagens met with the Fostoria Economical Development Committee to determine what customers were looking for in restaurants.
According to Amy, the committee found that people wanted a nice place to take clients out to eat that was close by.
"We're finding that more people are looking for quality food, quality service and a quality atmosphere at quality prices," Amy said.
She also said some people don't like eating at buffets because they are a health issue, because they may encourage some people to overeat.
"We are constantly having to compete with our past," Amy said.
The new menu includes appetizers, salads, pasta, steaks, seafood, sandwiches, dinners, Mexican food, deserts and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
All-you-can-eat walleye is offered as a dinner special on Fridays. Barbecue baby back ribs also are featured as a Friday dinner special. The cooks have recently perfected the sweet special recipe sauce, Amy said, and it is becoming more popular. Prime rib is the Saturday night dinner special.
The owners say the restaurant specializes in steaks, seafood and pasta and they want to be known for quality steaks and prime rib.
Frankie's Best never had a bar, but the restaurant now includes a separate bar area called the Hideaway Lounge. It used to be a mirrored room. It does seem like a hideaway. The bar has a lodge atmosphere, and the wall decor includes pictures of ducks, dogs, birds and hunting scenes.
Happy hour is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and beer is $1.50 and there are reduced drink specials. The Foster Club Hideaway Lounge also offers three specialty fruity drinks: Club Fury, Hideaway Heaven and Foster's Pineapple Passion.
The owners wanted the bar area to feel cozy for the patrons, Amy said.
The dining room was remodeled. Previously, the walls were covered with wallpaper with a large pink floral pattern. The Hagens changed to a to more neutral mauve paint rolled with sponge paint. They also gutted the kitchen and updated the equipment.
The Hagens plan to expand their business to include catering. They also are looking at expanding the seafood section of the menu. Also, they want to add booths to the dining room and make it have a more intimate atmosphere. The changes take time, though.
"Rome wasn't built in a year," Amy said.
The Hagens offer a 20 percent senior discount on Tuesdays and a 10 percent senior discount the other days of the week.
The Foster Club is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The Hagens also own Slammers, a sports bar and drive-through, which is next door to Foster Club.