Marshfield Family Restaurant ‘sorely missed’ in community | Local restaurants our readers miss most

MARSHFIELD − Earlier this year, we asked readers which former restaurants they missed most in the Marshfield area. Readers suggested almost 20 restaurants that they miss in the community. Over the next several weeks, we will highlight the top five restaurants our readers miss most.

We recently featured Thomas House Restaurant at No. 5.

No. 4: Marshfield Family Restaurant

Skender Ademi came to the United States from Macedonia in 1984. He started out as a busboy at Kris’s Sidewalk Cafe at 443 S. Central Ave. and worked his way up, eventually buying the restaurant and renaming it to Marshfield Family Restaurant in 1996.

“Hard work pays off,” Ademi told the Marshfield News-Herald 20 years later.

The restaurant was known for its traditional hearty, well-portioned meals and Ademi’s array of soups.

Customers who responded to the News-Herald survey seeking the most-missed restaurants in the community remembered it for its “great atmosphere” and its “corned beef hash omelet.”

“Their unlimited fish during Lent, their great pancakes and, of course, the generous portion of Alaskan waffles are all sorely missed here in our town,” one reader shared.

Ademi retired in April 2016 after 20 years of owning the business, citing health problems. He handed the restaurant over to his girlfriend, Sandy Lepack, and her daughter Mandie Lepack, who had worked at the business for 19 years, according to News-Herald archives.

At the time of his retirement, Ademi said he was proud of the business he built and the relationships he formed through his more than 30 years in the restaurant business in Marshfield.

“I just want to thank Marshfield, the people and customers, I’ll miss them,” he told the News-Herald. “I have been truly honored to care for and serve them. I tried to give them the best food at low prices, and they helped build this restaurant from scratch. I appreciate them continuing to come in and give me the opportunity to be somebody. Without the customers I’m nobody.”

Sandy and Mandie said they didn’t plan to make too many changes at the restaurant after Ademi’s retirement, and they planned to serve the same traditional food and soups that the community had come to know. They did make a few additions to the skillet and omelet portion of the menu and also, for the first time, offered wraps.

The Lepacks stepped away from the business in 2018, and new owners Pedro and Branda Vieyra reopened Marshfield Family Restaurant in August 2018, after it had been closed about a month.

Ademi served as a mentor for the couple showing them the ropes of the kitchen, including how to make the food that made the restaurant popular, including traditional meals like meatloaf and its daily specials.

Pedro had worked on and off at the restaurant since 2012, and Branda had been a waitress there prior to taking over ownership.

“We want to continue to provide the favorites that the community enjoys and wants, but we also expanded the menu, and it now has plenty of options for everyone,” Branda told the News-Herald.

The Vieyras navigated the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the statewide emergency order that closed restaurants to dine-in service, but on Aug. 18, 2020, they announced in a Facebook post that Marshfield Family Restaurant would close.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances and situations that are not in our control, we will be closing our doors permanently on Sunday, Aug. 23 at 2 p.m. … We are deeply sorry for how this decision will affect every one of you. At the same time, we want to thank you all for your support in this two-year adventure, thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you and for (letting) us be part of your family.”

The restaurant has remained vacant since.

On Feb. 15, 2022, Skender Ademi died at age 67, “surrounded by those who loved him,” according to his obituary.

History of 443 S. Central Ave. in Marshfield

Before it was Marshfield Family Restaurant, the space at 443 S. Central Ave. in Marshfield’s downtown was home to a number of restaurants.

Arrow Eat Cafe opened during the Great Depression and was owned by Virgil and Erma Loiselle, according to News-Herald archives. It was noted for nickel and dime hamburgers, pie and ice cream as well as 30-cent lunches.

It later became Pucker’s Quonset Grill.

In 1952, Pucker’s was purchased by Otto Schillinger and renamed Otto’s Grill. In 1962, a new restaurant was built behind the Quonset Grill and Quonset was removed. In June 1984, the former Otto’s Grill, which by then had been turned into an antiques store, was purchased by Kris Schnitzler and reopened as Kris’s Sidewalk Cafe.

Because the restaurant was set back from the sidewalk, Schnitzler decided to turn part of the business into an open-air cafe under a white wooden framework with hanging baskets of colorful flowers with yellow tables and red chairs, something very different from other downtown Marshfield restaurants.

In 1996, the restaurant was sold to Skender Ademi, and the outdoor eating area was enclosed and added to the existing indoor area. The business became Marshfield Family Restaurant.

Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.

This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Marshfield Family Restaurant ‘sorely missed’ in community