Cooking over 2,000 chicken wings in a single night might sound ambitious, but what about an astonishing 6,000? That impressive milestone was achieved right here in Journal Country. Nestled on the quaint Main Street of that small town, Club Eden was the scene of that feat. Despite a slower pace during the winter months, this local café and bar remains a vibrant hub and a source of pride for its owner, Renee Amdahl.
Amdahl emphasizes that she is one in a line of committed owners that have come before her. The business has a long history and has been run under various names. There was the Blue Denim Lounge and Café decades ago. The business also saw stints as the Garden of Eden and Knotheads.
Then in the early 2000s an investor group of over 20 people came together and took a big leap to buy the business. In 2005, the group reopened the business as Club Eden. Jenny Roerig, one of those investors and the business’s manager, remembers the early days.
“It was important for us to have younger people be a part of the venture,” she explains. “Some people who might not have had the money to put into it put in hours improving the building or helping in the restaurant to work off their investment.”
The famous wing Wednesdays would start a few years after the group took over when Kendra Opitz asked to try something new to get folks to come in on that slow night of the week. Roerig says she remembers Opitz celebrating when she sold 200 wings. Within a couple of years, the numbers of wings moving through the restaurant was in the thousands with the record being 6,339.
The owners would establish other good practices like nightly specials. Most of all though they were pleased to have the doors open and a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. “It was not just about people spending money,” emphasized Roerig. “It was about people having a place to come together and everyone caring about the town.”
One person whose love for both the town and business that grew in those years was Renee Amdahl. A native of Grenville, Amdahl admits she hadn't spent much time in Eden before, but her extensive business and restaurant background made her uniquely suited for the role.
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