New Owners Bring New Ideas to The Mackinaw Brewing Co.

April 3, 2002

The name remains the same along with the friendly staff, but there are new owners at the Mackinaw Brewing Co. who have big plans for the popular gathering spot in downtown Traverse City.
“We‘re going to diversify both our menu and our beers,“ says Rod Langbo who with his wife Lisa, recently acquired the brew pub and restaurant at Cass and Front streets.
Rod plans to add some lighter menu items such as salads to complement Mackinaw Brewing‘s menu of sandwiches, smoked meats and fish.
“My philosophy about food is to keep it fresh, keep it changing, and prepare it properly,“ he says. “With the proper cooking techniques the flavors in food develop on their own.
“But even more than with the food, I think that service is an area where we can excel,“ he adds. “Almost everywhere you go in Traverse City you can find exceptional food, but you can‘t always get exceptional service, and that‘s what we feel is important here -- making our customers feel comfortable and valued so they want to keep coming back.“
Thanks to the talents of brewmaster Russ Springsteen and Mike Dwyer, The Mackinaw Brewing Co. has long had an edge among local connoisseurs when it comes to the quality of its ales and beers. Six brews are currently offered there, but Langbo plans to add two more using a milder yeast for a mellower flavor and easy imbibing.
One thing he‘s not going to change, however, is the selection of smoked beef, pork, turkey and fish which is served on the menu‘s heaping sandwiches. The Mackinaw Brewing Co. has its own smoker on the premises which turns out such favorites as the BBQ pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches. There are also seven different burgers on the menu, a red ale meatloaf, grilled corned beef and a whitefish sandwich, among others.
Rod and Lisa met while they were students at Central Michigan University, graduating in 1987. Thereafter, Rod spent several years working for a trucking firm. One day, an advertisement for the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont caught his eye. “I had cooked all through college and I loved it,“ he recalls.
He decided to give it a go, attending the Institute and eventually serving an internship at the Grand Traverse Resort. Upon graduation, he became a chef at Molly‘s By Golly on Mission Peninsula and then joined Mackinaw Brewing where he has served as chef and kitchen manager for the past three years. “It‘s nice to be the decision-maker now,“ he says.
For her part, Lisa handles the books and raises the couple‘s two-year-old daughter, Bailey.
Some good news for brew lovers is that the Mackinaw offers $1 pints from 10 p.m. to midnight now every night but Sunday. Ice cream lovers can take heart in the fact that the establishment‘s popular dairy bar will reopen this summer out in back beneath the deck overlooking the river.
For local music-lovers there‘s also a plan being considered to offer a smoke-free open mike night. Other plans include the expansion of catering services for weddings and parties.
“We‘ve got some great people in our kitchen who are capable of doing so much more,“ Langbo says. “Our menu hasn‘t changed in five years now, so we‘re due for something new. We‘ll be offering food that‘s a little more complex, presentable, and diversified in flavor.“