The Gobbler

The Gobbler was a unique motel, supper club, and roadside attraction at the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 26 and I-94 (Exit 267) in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, United States. It was situated halfway between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Madison, Wisconsin. The Gobbler was a popular roadside attraction. Dozens of websites have been erected as a memorial to The Gobbler, and to tell the tales of visits to the site. The former supper club was located at 43°5′4″N 88°46′15″W and the motel was located to the east atop a hill at 43°5′6″N 88°45′56″W.

In late May 1992, then-motel and restaurant manager Clyde Hartwig filed a notice with the Village of Johnson Creek stating that both the Motel and Restaurant would "permanently cease operations and close its business" by July 26th of that year. A newspaper article about the closure noted that, when the announcement was made, the operation was struggling, and that a visit showed only "7 tables of about 40 tables" were occupied during the dinner rush, and that "Five vehicles were parked at the motel at the same time". The restaurant closed as scheduled, however a newspaper article published in 1995 claims the Motel had stayed open until early that year.

Supper Club

Former Gobbler Supper Club building in August 2010.

Designed in the late 1960s by Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin architect Helmut Ajango for local turkey farmer Clarence Hartwig and opened in 1967, the Gobbler Supper Club was styled to resemble a turkey's head when viewed from overhead. The menu featured turkey, prime rib and steak. A rotating circular bar that completed one revolution every 80 minutes was a signature centerpiece of the building.

Hartwig's poultry plant was located just south of the supper club and closed in 1971 after Hartwig announced that it was too costly to upgrade the plant to meet new USDA standards. At the time, the plant was the largest employer in Johnson Creek, employing up to 300 workers and processing 30 million pounds of poultry a year. Hartwig's other ventures, the Gobbler supper club, the Cackle Shack restaurant and Gobbler motel remained open.

In 1974, the State Equal Rights Division ruled that the restaurant violated the rights of two women by firing them for refusing to wear uniforms that were different from the uniform of male employees. Male waiters and bartenders wore tuxedos, while female waitresses were required to wear "black briefs, fishnet stockings and V-necked hunting jackets." The Capital Times reported it to be the first ruling to find "sex discrimination on the basis of uniforms."

Post-closure

After the Hartwig family sold the building in the early '90s, several restaurants have attempted to open in the building, the first being a Mexican restaurant called "Redondos" in 1995. Other attempts include a roadside diner, "The Round Stone Restaurant", and "The New Gobbler". The last tenant went out of business in mid-2002.

In June 2008, the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Tourism Program hosted "The Gobbler Gala" at the restaurant. The dinner featured talks by Gobbler architect Ajango and Wright historian Sidney Robinson.

The owners held an auction of the property and separate items, including the petrified wood that lined the entrance, in December 2009, hoping to recoup some of their costs.

In 2011, the locally produced film Missed Connections was shot on-location at the restaurant.

Motel

Logo used in 1972 for newspaper advertising.

Across the street from the supper club, The Gobbler Motel had an adventurous, futuristic Googie architecture design that featured 49 rooms with symbol-shaped waterbeds (such as a heart-shape), 8-track players, and differently colored shag carpet (which extended up the walls) in each themed room. According to a 1978 newspaper article, it required "two maids" to make the Motel's round waterbeds, with the maids "hanging by one arm and stretching out a stockinged foot to smooth away wrinkles"

After multiple changes in ownership (including a renaming to the "King Arthur's Inn Motel" in April of 1995) and years of unrepaired wear, the motel was abandoned in 2001. Shortly thereafter, the Johnson Creek Fire Department burned the motel to the ground as a "practice fire" for their firefighters; however, the concrete slab on which the motel was built still remains.

Casino efforts

There were attempts by the Menominee, Potawatomi and Lac du Flambeau Chippewa tribes in the 1990s to purchase the land for a multimillion-dollar casino, hotel and convention center. The land was still for sale in 2007, the motel property for $6.2 million and the restaurant property for $2.3 million.

External links

• Helmut Jango Architect’s website
• A detailed description of the property (with photos)
• Gobbler Motel and Supper Club TV commercial
• Bredahl, Brenda K. Supper Club State: A Brief Cultural History of the Wisconsin Institution "Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine", Summer 2009. Interview with Gobbler supper club's most recent owners.