Hooked on History: Swiss Hat Restaurant known for savory fare that drew crowds

On the morning of Nov. 21, 1992, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Sugarcreek residents gathered on the public square to pay tribute to Lt. Gen. Donald Putt, a Sugarcreek native who was an aviation pioneer involved in the nation's rocket program.

As people were waiting for the ceremony to dedicate a memorial to Putt, they heard horns and whistles blowing. Soon after, fire trucks and ambulances raced through the streets of town, headed toward the popular Swiss Hat Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in the downtown area. A grease fire had ignited in the kitchen.

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Denise Borter of Sugarcreek was working in the Swiss Hat kitchen that day.

"We had a table-top deep fryer. It had started going bad several years before the fire," she recalled. "We would tell them (the owners), and they were always like, just turn it off, let it cool down, then turn it back on. On the day of the fire, it started to overheat. We turned the deep fryer off. It just kept getting hotter and hotter, and just burst up into flames. The deep fryer was wired through the wall down into the basement, so we didn't even know where it was plugged in at. So we couldn't do anything about it.

"The day of the fire, Sally Patterson (one of the owners) was at the Commercial & Savings Bank when the fire broke out. I went running out the back door as soon as the fire broke and I went to the bank. I go running into the bank and told Sally there was a fire. She's like, calm down, it'll be OK. And I'm like, no, it won't. You didn't see it, it won't be OK."

Borter did not return to the restaurant.

The fire quickly spread, and soon the entire building was engulfed in flames. A huge cloud of smoke rose from the three-story restaurant, and there were fears that the blaze might consume the entire downtown shopping district. But Sugarcreek firefighters, aided by more than 70 firefighters from eight other departments, were able to bring the fire under control in about two hours. No one was injured.

Unfortunately, the Swiss Hat was a total loss. Fire Chief Jim Harrison estimated the damage at between $300,000 and $500,000.

Early history of the building

The building at 108 E. Main St. had had many uses over the years. It was originally a residence, and then it was converted into a hotel by Mr. and Mrs. John Huprich. In 1925, while it was owned by Claren H. Mikesell, it was remodeled. The east side became a grocery store operated by the A&P Tea Co. and a restaurant was on the other side.

Mikesell operated the restaurant, known as the Black & White Confectionary. The name was changed to the Blue Bird Restaurant when it was purchased by Enos Hostetler. Hostetler later sold the Blue Bird to Donald Miller and his sister Elsie Shansey in 1947.

"Besides serving lunches, sandwiches and dinners, the Blue Bird has a complete soda fountain which offers anything from a Coke to a super special deluxe banana split completed with whipped cream, cherries and ground nuts," an article in the Dover Daily Reporter said in 1954.

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Miller was especially proud of his ice cream. He sold 7,680 gallons in 1953.

"The Blue Bird offers the people of Sugarcreek a well-rounded variety of reading material through its national magazines, pocket books and the Daily Reporter," the paper continued. "Then too, there are comic books and children's books for the small fry.

"The Blue Bird, with 12 counter seats and five booths, is the unofficial headquarters of the unofficial 'Breakfast Club' in Sugarcreek. Twice a day the businessmen migrate to the restaurant for their 'coffee break.'"

Shansey, who moved to Sugarcreek from Washington, D.C., with her two teenaged children after her husband, George, died, was supposed to run the restaurant and her brother was to step away from the business. But plans changed, and she soon moved back to Washington.

In 1954, Miller purchased the grocery store on the east side of the building to expand his restaurant and then in 1957, he renamed it the Swiss Hat. At the same time, the exterior of the building was restyled in the Swiss manner in honor of Sugarcreek's Swiss heritage. The front was designed by local artist Tom Miller. It was the second building in the downtown to get the new look.

The restaurant quickly became popular, drawing customers from surrounding communities, as well as Amish country tourists.

"The success is most apparent perhaps on Sunday, which is a family day at the Swiss Hat," the Daily Times reported in 1962. "Dozens of families throughout the county drive to Sugarcreek for the savory fare that makes good eating."

The menu included locally grown roast turkey, T-bone steaks, fried chicken, Swiss steak and baked ham.

Miller sold the restaurant in 1971 to Lynn and Iona Kuhn of Sugarcreek. They built an addition on the east side to expand the dining facilities and remodeled the second floor to provide banquet facilities for large groups.

On Sunday there would be lines waiting outside to get into the Swiss Hat

Denise Borter began working at the restaurant around 1977 when she was in high school. She started working Sundays after church bussing tables before she became a kitchen employee. Her mother, Deloris, started there around the same time, working as a waitress.

Swiss steak was one of the most popular items on the menu.

"It was really good," Denise said.

The restaurant continued to be a popular eatery.

"On Sunday there would be lines waiting outside to get in," Deloris said. Added Denise, "Swiss Festival time was crazy. And the month of October was the busiest month, when the leaves change."

The Kuhns sold the restaurant to Pat Patterson in 1988. Following the fire, the Swiss Hat was closed for 18 months before it opened in a new building at the same location in August 1994. It went through several owners before it closed for good in 2005. The building is now occupied by Carlisle Fabric & Quilts.

Denise Borter returned to work after the fire and was working there part time when it closed.

"It was a good time working there," she said.

Jon Baker is a reporter for The Times-Reporter and can be reached at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Swiss Hat Restaurant in Sugarcreek was popular eatery