Lates Owner Karl Birkenstock, Longtime Employee Nancy Klein
President Truman was in the White House and Dinah Shore had the hit song “Buttons and Bows” when Lates first opened its doors to hungry customers on Manitowoc’s southside in 1948.
The original owner, Leighton Mirkes, actually founded his small restaurant one block west at the former Super Valu store site, before moving to its present location at 1924 S. 9th Street.
Mirkes later sold the business to Dick Boeckman and then in 1999, current owner Karl Birkenstock came on board.
He told Seehafer News,“We’re predominantly known for our hamburgers and cheese curds, malts. Although all of our sandwiches, including perch and our chicken, sell pretty well.”
Nancy Klein has been a waitress at Lates for all 3 owners, going on 60 years on August 29th.
Lates and WOMT Radio’s Clean Plate Club Poster from 1943
“I know just about what everybody wants to order and if they’re sick I know about it,” she told interviewer Damon Ryan.
He responded, “You become part of their lives,” to which she said, “They become part of mine and I know everybody’s name.”
Karl said the secret of Lates success is really the employees.
“It’s consistent and it got to be that way because we have employees who’ve been here just short of forever,” he noted. “As I mentioned Nancy has been here for 60 years, ‘Ticker’ Todd Tikalsky our number 1 cook and manager has been here since he was 14 years old and I think he just turned 54.”
Lates Grill is Manitowoc’s longest continuous operating restaurant and Birkenstock spoke about his business not having an outdoor advertising sign.
“It is to the chagrin of my wife and many other people that I don’t have a sign,” he said with a laugh. “I get ridiculed all the time but I say hey, don’t you wish you owned a restaurant that didn’t need a sign? It hasn’t impacted our business at all. People know where Lates is, people find Lates.”
Karl also began offering his customers throwback prices if they paid in U.S. silver coins dated 1964 or earlier, including a hamburger for 12 cents and those famous cheese curds for only 17 cents.
Birkenstock showing off Lates’ Silver Coin Policy
But, the biggest bargain came when a customer came in for a graduation party order for broasted chicken.
“We will sell 100 pieces of chicken for $4.55,” Karl noted. “We make change at 20-to-1 too and so this guy came in, he gave us 5 silver dollars. We gave him 100 pieces of chicken and we gave him $9.00 back in change.”
Birkenstock added on the restaurant’s diamond anniversary, “I have seen families of 4 generations, perhaps up to 5 now, that come in here and enjoy eating at Lates and talk about old stories.”
