The Alanson Depot

Jan. 1, 2016

Ever-morphing train station settles into the restaurant world

One hundred and thirty-five years ago, it was a train depot primarily used by the logging industry. In the years to follow, it would become a train-themed tourist attraction, an antique shop, a snowmobile dealership, a pizza place and a popular dining destination known as Lester’s BBQ. Today, it’s Alanson Depot, a restaurant that’s gone through its own growth cycle, overseen by owner Scott Luepnitz.

CULINARY CHANGES

Luepnitz, who attended Michigan State University to study hotel and restaurant management, ran a restaurant in the Dallas area after graduation, then returned to northern Michigan, where he purchased a couple of BC Pizza franchises.

“Once the lease expired on my Alanson BC Pizza, I bought the depot building,” Luepnitz said. “It had been closed for several years. I’d been looking to expand, so I opened the Depot originally as a Mexican restaurant in the front of the building and moved BC Pizza to the back, where we had drive-thru pizza.”

Before long, other changes came to Alanson, ones that Luepnitz carefully turned into opportunities for his own business.

“Shortly after we opened, the breakfast place across the street closed, so we hired some of their people and started cooking breakfasts,” Luepnitz explained. “Then Bob’s Place (another Alanson restaurant landmark) closed too, so we went to a more traditional menu.”

SHRIMP TO SWEETS

The most popular item on the menu is the Depot’s prime rib, which Luepnitz called “a bargain” at $18.99, compared to other prime rib prices in the region.

“It’s certified Angus beef and we slow roast it with dry spices, so it cooks for five or six hours,” he said.

The Great Lakes whitefish is another standout with Parmesan herb breadcrumbs topped with garlic Parmesan cream sauce. One of the more unusual items is the coconut shrimp, fried shrimp with a pina colada coconut coating, served up hot with potatoes and vegetable.

“We also have a smoker, so we do a lot of brisket items — platters of brisket with homemade baked beans and slaw, brisket nachos and features like blackened mahimahi and salmon,” Luepnitz said.

On the dessert menu, Alanson Depot offers pumpkin chiffon pie, wedding cake — “literally white wedding cake slices; it’s very popular!” — and their signature dessert, the Depot Bomb.

“It’s chocolate chip cookie dough formed into a cupcake pan with a Reese’s peanut butter cup in the middle and brownie batter on top,” Luepnitz explained. “We bake it and then serve it warm with ice cream, caramel, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. It’s so sweet and really good.”

IMITATION IS FLATTERY

The décor inside Alanson Depot perfectly complements the building’s history.

“We did a lot of our interior design based on train station photos from the 1800s, when the depot was new,” Luepnitz said. “Our seating offers some booths and some high top tables, and we have a deck with outdoor seating and an awning in the summer.”

There’s plenty of train memorabilia to catch the eye, too, from a 13-foot saw blade on the wall (“and that’s only a third of it!”) to the old track switch that sits out front, to a series of black and white photos, some showing people shoveling snow from the tracks by hand.

Luepnitz initially started with Mexican fare and pizza options to be a little different than his neighbors-slash-competitors.

With many of them now out of the restaurant business, his menu has had room to grow. That, combined with the theme and décor of the restaurant, is what helps set the Depot apart.

“I didn’t want to be a jerk,” he chuckled, “so I was purposefully staying away from copying anyone else’s menus. Funny thing is, now I’m seeing other restaurants copying my menu!”

Alanson Depot is located at 7568 US-31 in Alanson. For a complete menu and more information, visit alansondepot.com or call (231) 548-1296.