AU TRAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – For the first time in almost a year a historic Alger County restaurant is back open and serving food.
At 4:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon cars, dirtbikes, and even people taking pictures filled the parking lot of the Brownstone Inn. The restaurant hasn’t served a meal since 2022, and the community was eager for the doors to open back up.
“I can’t wait to get inside and see all the improvements in there,” excitedly remarked Barb Hoos who was one of the first diners through the door at the re-opening.
Some who were there had never eaten at the brownstone before, and others like Hoos were seasoned veterans. “I used to come here all the time with my sister,” Hoos said, her sister has since passed away, but the Brownstone brings back fond memories.
The opening has been a long time coming. Management at the restaurant faced setbacks while trying to reopen, the most prominent being a lack of an approved water supply.
“In order to get open we’ve basically had to do what we have to do,” commented Tom Dolaskie who alongside his wife Ana and business partner Darrin Hubbard own the restaurant.
The owners have had to invest in new infrastructure to store hauled in water, the Brownstone Inn is receiving nearly a thousand gallons of water every day.
“We remain focused and calm on delivering the service and quality of food everyone expects,” said Ana Dolaskie.
They knew it was important to keep the spirit of the original Brownstone alive so they kept the tables and carpeting the same. They also added new decorations to give the restaurant an updated feeling
“We’re really excited to see the community come out and support us,” said Dolaskie.
And from the reactions from diners like Hoos who said “I thank them from the bottom of my heart, for opening this place and giving the community another place to come and enjoy a nice quality dinner” it doesn’t seem like community support is going to be a problem.
The restaurant located at E4635 M-28, in Au Train, will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.
