With the welcome presence of Volkswagen, Wacker Chemical and other newly-arrived German businesses, it's a wonder there's still no German restaurant in the area. Go figure.
Jim Yarbrough
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I agree. I haven't had good sauerbraten in many years. And maybe some strudel for dessert?
Mark Rudisill
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You're right, as hard as it is to understand, there is no German restaurant in Chattanooga. I believe the nearest is Gasthaus Bitstro & Pub in Manchester, Tn., owned by a family who moved here from Germany a few years ago. It's an authentic menu, and they serve bread that is baked in Germany with German water. Great new eateries are opening all the time in Chattanooga, but I guess everyone is ignoring the obvious.
Jay Parker
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Just what did you expect? We would start eating and speaking German?
If you want an American "German" Restaurant, go to Karl Ratzsch's in Milwaukee. You are not going to find it here.
What, rednecks eating sauerbraten and brats in Chattanooga? What were you thinking? Maybe a tourist fake German place? Downtown. Well, we do have a Five Guys. It might work.
Ike Conn
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Having a German restaurant in town might be a good thing, but not because we have German businesses. The Germans that are here don't want to eat at such a place; they've had lots of that back home.
Consider an American plant opening in, say, India and the locals thinking they ought to open, say, a Shoneys?
Eugene Bartoo
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The big question in considering why a German restaurant has not opened in Chattanooga is who is going to eat there? This is only an assumption on my part, but I believe many of the Germans that may have come to Chattanooga to work for or manage Volkswagen are already making authentic German meals in their homes already. Most of the workers, in my opinion, could care less as far as what sort of foods might be associated with where their employer originated from. They’re just happy to have a job. Then that leaves the rest of us…
Many years ago, while serving in the U.S. Army, I was fortunate enough to spend just over four years in Germany. I loved every moment of the experience. The people, the language, the food, the beer, and yes…the bread.
When I finished my service with the Army I returned to Long Island where I grew up. In my youth I was fortunate to have grown up in an area that celebrated ethnicity. There was always some sort of ethnic fest going on. German, Italian, Polish, Swedish, you name it. Then there was the Chinese New Year, Saint Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day, Hanukkah and at Christmas I was exposed to the little twists and differences in how the various ethnic groups celebrated the birth of Christ.
My mother was from Chattanooga, and in 1993 my ex-wife and I made the move. Moving here was the best choice I ever made, but upon arrival it was clear to see that the “celebration of ethnicity “I had grown accustomed to was non-existent. Conveyor belt pizzas, no cannolis, no schwarzwälder kirsch torte and the list goes on. It was like I laid down for a nap and when I woke up all the delis had been replaced by Check into Cash establishments. I once told a good friend of mine I missed going into a deli for a coffee and a buttered roll. He asked me why I wanted a buttered roll. I’m not a motorcycle person, but I understand those who own Harley’s, when asked why they ride, often reply “If I have to explain it you wouldn’t understand.”
When I moved down here it immediately became clear that where I was from mattered. In general, if you ask someone from the area where his/her family is from you will most often be met with the answer; Chattanooga, Dunlap, Sequatchie Valley, Ten Mile or something like that. The connection that you were actually wondering what country his/her ancestors came from is not usually made. Maybe it has something to do with how the War of Southern aggression turned out?
Now before any of you start saying “If you liked it so well up there why don’t you go back” understand that I love Chattanooga as well. By living in the Chattanooga area, while there are things to be gained, there are things that are lost as well. That’s not to say anything is bad. It’s just different.
Around the country different regions have different nuances. Down here the college football team you affiliate with is in many ways a religion. Up North it’s the NFL team you affiliate with. Nobody is right or wrong, it’s just the way it is.
If they build it I will come, along with many others seeking something authentic and new, but after the new wears off are there enough people in the area to sustain a German Restaurant long term. I have my doubts. Bis Dahin.
Ed Merritt
Soddy Daisy
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In our view, Mr. Bartoo is wrong. We have several German friends who travel to Nashville, Huntsville or Manchester because there are no such restaurants locally.
However, you don’t have to be German to enjoy the food. Like any restaurant, those establishments are supported by the entire community. Certainly Mr. Bartoo wouldn’t argue that Provino’s appeals only to Italians.
Mr. Conn considers Chattanooga too unsophisticated for German food, yet doesn’t explain why it’s thriving 60 miles away in Manchester (pop. 8,294) or why we apparently are sophisticated enough for Italian, Vietanamese, Indian, Thai and Peruvian.
In the final analysis, there’s sufficient population and timely interest to support a German restaurant here, and when one finally opens (as it eventually will), it is sure to be successful. Restaurateurs may be a little behind the curve on this, but they’ll catch up. Just look how long it took for us to get frozen custard.
Bob and Gigi Lawson
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Because this is America.
Mike Dobbs
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Really, Mr. Dobbs? We don't have a German restaurant in Chattanooga "because this is America?" So by your logic, we shouldn't have Mexican restaurants, or Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Mongolian, Indian, etc., etc., etc., because this is America, right? What's left: Applebee's and its kind of "American" restaurants? Well, only after we remove any Italian or Mexican dishes from their menus, right?
Or have you forgotten that America, by its very nature, is a collection of immigrants from around the world -including you? Where is your family from? My ancestors are from Wales and Germany, although we've been in America for many years. So I'm from immigrants too.
I'm so very glad that people who think like you, who simply hate the outside world, even its people here, don't run our nation. I hope you open your eyes.
John Stegall
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Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lawson,
Hailing as I do from South Philadelphia, I'm afraid you make Mr. Bartoos' point.
If you think there's a restaurant in Chattanooga that serves Italian food, then I would suggest you have a lot to learn about Italian food.
Paul Russo
Chattanooga
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The Lawsons’ point is excellent and well taken, but swiftly flew over Mr. Russo’s head. The point is that restaurants serving ethnic fare are generally supported by the community as a whole and are not solely patronized by Italians, Germans, Chinese, French, etc. Regardless of one’s opinion of the restaurant. Good grief.
R.J. Johnson
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There are good points here, but I think the biggest one missing is the nature of the food scene in Chattanooga. One could probably say that the food scene here has ADHD. It's constantly evolving and running with new trends and sometimes the new, exciting places burn bright for an instance and then fade to black.
Anyone remember The Boiled Frog? It was the only place that I can think of that had Lousiana-style cuisine to include frog legs and had live jazz. Or how about the old Dirty Nelly's. I would love to see others pop up, but the high overhead and the risk are sometimes too much for investors to overcome.
Who knows? Maybe someone reading these pieces will take the plunge and surprise us with something unique, tasty, and, more importantly, lasting.
Kristoffer Tinney