Salem staple Sybil's Omelettes to celebrate 40 years

Salem staple Sybil's Omelettes will be celebrating 40 egg-cellent years the week of July 18.

The restaurant opened in 1982 by Dr. Wolfram F. Gottschalk as Omelettes Unlimited, but was renamed in '86 to Sybil's Omelettes. Since Dr. Gottschalk's death in 2011, ownership passed to his wife, Dorothee, with support from her son Wolf.

The secret to such longevity? Loving what you do and taking care of the people alongside you, Dorothee said.

Dorothee holds great pride and joy in the restaurant as it served as both a place for community and family building for herself, employees and customers.

An ode to omelettes

When the Gottschalks arrived in Salem in 1973, there was nothing that indicated they would open a restaurant. Both were in the medical profession, with Wolfram as the first plastic surgeon to open a practice in Salem.

Before it became the famousSybil's, the location was a sirloin steak restaurant chain with a steakhouse set-up.

Dorothee chuckled as she explained how Wolfram "fell in love" with the restaurant at the end of '82, when the property was on sale.

"(Wolfram) had a big love of Sybil's and it was something different," Dorothee said fondly. "I remember when we were sitting at Busick Court and that's when he brought up the idea, and his eyes twinkled and I knew it would be the right thing for him."

Wolfram wasinterested in owning a restaurant and "was in love" with the concept of making an omelet-centric restaurant, Dorothee said. He was "all about it," and his drive was just a part of the strong entrepreneurial side and creativity he had outside his practice, she added. Why eggs, especially omelets? Well, why not, was Dorothee's reply.

It's almost impossible to not find egg-actly what you're looking for from the extensive menu, which offers 110 different omelet types, including ham, vegetarian, seafood and even ones with other chicken parts in a section humorously labeled "Chicken Coop." If omelets are not what you're craving, Sybil's also offers 10 types of egg scrambles, waffles, French toast, pancakes, an extensive lunch menu, build-a-breakfast, plus senior and kids menus. Coffee fiends can also choose from medium roast, dark roast or decaf.

When you step into Sybil's Omelettes, the first thing you'll notice is the abundance of chicken and egg paraphernalia. From plush chickens on the shelf by the doorway to metal chicken hangings and figurines around the rest of the restaurant, it almost feels sacrilegious to be eating omelets and other egg dishes.

Who is Sybil?

Atop any Sybil's Omelette signage is an adorable drawing of an upright standing chicken donning glasses, a spatula and an apron, with a small smile on its face. That chicken is Sybil.

The rumor, according to longtime employee Noreen Wineland, is that a customer drew Sybil while dining and Wolfram "loved that chicken." So he bought and copyrighted it for the restaurant's use. She added that the name Sybil may have been inspired by people he knew.

The restaurant went through a few changes during the '80s, including being open for dinner service and offering a separate menu plus alcohol. But it didn't last long, because "Sybil's was not made to do something like that," Dorothee said, chuckling.

"I think of course you can have omelets for dinner, but it was not the way for us," she said.

'Good people'

With Wolfram busy with his practice and Dorothee working in physical therapy in home health at a hospital, they found it important to hire "good people."

"If you have good staff, that is what make you continued to be loved by customers," Dorothee said. "The friendliness of the staff here is amazing, and I cannot praise them any more than I do. I am so happy that they are in love with what they're doing, not just saying it's their job, but it's their whole heart."

The Gottschalks even got their four kids, Silvi, Veronika, Wolf and Bert, to work in the restaurant as they were growing up. The four did various roles, including hostess, waitress, cook and even night manager. Wolf now helps his mother in ownership, but lives on the East Coast managing a fitness company.

Dorothee attributes manager Stefani Shirley's managerial style for why "people like to work." Shirley began at Sybil's in 2002, during the 20th year anniversary and didn't see anything celebratory, but made it a point to celebrate 30 and 35 in big ways. For 35, the restaurant brought back the prices originally served during the '80s for a day.

One server has been at Sybil's for 35 years, and her daughter for 11, Dorothee said. The emphasis on treating staff and customers like family is what makes working at Sybil's appealing, especially for such long tenures, Shirley said.

One of the other long-time employees includes Noreen Wineland, who worked in Wolfram's practice in 1983 as an accountant and joined Sybil's as the financial officer in 2011. Though she didn't work in the restaurant for her entire career, she was close with the Gottschalk family.

"I have known this family since 1983, and they are good people," Wineland said. "Dr. Gottschalk served as a mentor to me personally, and I am forever grateful."

The average tenure of Sybil's employees is eight years, Shirley said. At the end of May, the team celebrated the retirement of their dishwasher of 23 years.

"I have an awesome staff and couldn't wish for anything better," Dorothee said. She, Wineland, Shirley and Wolf all collaborate on continuing to run the restaurant, especially in the last few difficult years of the pandemic.

Generations of regulars

As stated in his obituary, Wolfram wanted to make Sybil's a place where one can "come as a stranger, leave as a friend."

Beyond the restaurant, the Gottschalks made sure to support the community by doing food drives, toy drives, diaper drives and fundraisers, many specifically for Marion Polk Food Share and other food insecurity organizations. Especially through the pandemic and 2020 Santiam wildfires, the restaurant continued to help as it was struggling. Sybil's matched funds with the American Red Cross to help folks displaced by the wildfire, donating $3,750 to help pay for folks' hotel rooms.

"We're fortunate in being able to help," Dorothee said. "We have the best customers, they help us tremendously by donating."

Dorothee said with a family friendly, classic restaurant like Sybil's, maintaining the quality throughout the years is what brings people back for years and years.

"I know of people who come in, then with their kids, and then with their kids' kids," Dorothee said. "The kids who come in and want to continue with their own families is the best reputation you can get. We'll get people traveling on the freeway stop by just for the restaurant, or people that are on visits from other states to Salem say, 'let's go to Sybil's!'"

Shirley added that there once was a 5-year-old's birthday held at the restaurant. Surprised, she asked the mom of the birthday girl, who said her daughter "wanted to go to the chicken place."

Even as the Gottschalks' children grew up and moved away, one thing remained the same: holding family reunions inside the restaurant. The last family reunion was in 2017, with all the Gottschalk children and extended family in the restaurant.

'Come as a stranger, leave as a friend'

The "come as a stranger, leave as a friend" philosophy showed its impact during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restaurants have struggled.

"I saw so many signs of thank you for 20, 30 great years during the pandemic," Wolf said. "If you look at the percentage of restaurants that shut down during the pandemic (28%), you rarely see the family owned and operated that have weathered the last few years able to announce a celebration of 40 years."

For the 40th anniversary, Shirley said the restaurant will have a party for staff past and present and vendors during the anniversary week. Specials for customers are still in the works.

"(Creating and continuing the restaurant) was a wonderful thing," Dorothee said, breaking her generally withheld demeanor into a wide smile. "(40 years) is a long time for a restaurant, and very positive kind of remark to be open that long and popular. It makes me feel very proud."

To keep up with what Sybil's has in store for their anniversary, you can follow their Facebook page.

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@statesmanjournal.com, follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily or see what she's eating on Instagram @sikfanmei.ah.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Sybil's Omelettes in Salem celebrates its 40th anniversary