Tastemakers: 13th Street Cafe/Bottle Service

Nov. 16, 2008

13th Street Café


The students in the Hospitality, Retail and Entrepreneurship program at the Wexford-Missaukee Career Technical Center (CTC) have one of Northern Michigan’s best kept secrets, a great place to have lunch. The 13th Street Café (located at the CTC) has been around for 20 years; offering lunches to the public prepared by the students who run all aspects of the operation.
Several years ago, I was asked to visit the Center and put the students through a food and beverage job interview, reviewing resumes and asking questions that they would expect from a potential employer. Part of that visit included dining at the 13th Street Café, and I was very impressed.
The Café is open during the school year and only on days when school is in session. They open mid-October so that students may go through the month-long Serve Safe training program (this is a nationally recognized food handling program and by June of 2009, all restaurants in Michigan will be required to have one Serve Safe trained manager).
These students are getting a real world experience at the 13th Street Café. The food and hospitality service industries continue to be in several top 10 charts for job opportunity for the future. Management and chef positions are out there and many pay great wages and benefits (if you are willing to work weekends and holidays).
As for the food, the 13th Street Café has exceptional offerings. The menu changes daily so for a sneak peak check out their website web.wmisd.org/wmactc2 or call them 231-876-2231.

Bottle Service

The latest rage in nightclubs is not the music or a new dance; it is bottle service. Upscale nightclubs all over the world are now offering patrons the opportunity to have full bottles of top shelf liquors at their table. Now, this isn’t a new concept, it has been around since liquor was first bottled. The taverns during the Revolutionary War days and the saloons of the old west had bottle service. The TV shows Bonanza and Gunsmoke always had guys with full bottles and shot-glasses on their tables.
Full bottles at the table disappeared in the 1920s as cocktails became popular. The concept reappeared in 1988 when a popular Paris nightclub began selling table reservations with a complimentary bottle. In 1993, the popular New York nightclub, The Tunnel, created a VIP room offering bottle service. Other clubs began following suit, requiring patrons to buy full bottles to access VIP rooms or have high-profile tables reserved for them. By 200,1 the concept had spread to major party towns such as Las Vegas, L.A. and South Beach.
Recently, I attended a concert at Streeters Ground Zero Nightclub where Doug Street (celebrating his 10th anniversary of opening Streeters) has introduced the concept to Northern Michigan. He has a VIP area for concerts with reserved tables and the option to order bottle service.
Bottle service is a status thing. It is not always a cost savings, but it looks cool to have a full bottle of top shelf liquor at your table. Bottle service usually includes mixers, a bucket of ice and garnishes. Since you are not allowed to take the bottle with you, it is something you do in a group setting. Some clubs have lockers so patrons may store partial bottles for later use. Ground Zero offers bottle service at a cost savings, unlike a lot of big city clubs. For example, Grey Goose goes for $350 a bottle in most New York clubs and is $150 at Ground Zero. I have been enjoying wine by the bottle for years and, after years of watching movies and shows with guys from the wild west ordering full bottles of liquor for their table, I am glad to have the same opportunity.