Brandy old fashioneds, relish trays, and existential dread about Applebee's.
Supper club restaurants were the hot dinning trend in the mid twentieth century. They provided a place for people to spend their evenings enjoying cocktails, home cooked, high quality food and entertainment. The supper club scene slowly faded from the rest of the country, but kept a strong hold in Wisconsin due to a culture that allowed it to thrive. Around for decades, supper clubs in Wisconsin have been able to hold their own style and traditions. While chain restaurants continue to expand and threaten their future, supper clubs are fighting to survive while continuing to offer the same exceptional dinning experience and a personal touch that is not seen in the modern lifestyle of dine and dash. Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club takes you into this uniquely Wisconsin institution.
Direction
De Ruyter's patient, loving gaze never mocks its subjects.
Production
Glorious close-ups of fried fish that should be illegal.
Director
Holly L. De Ruyter
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'Old Fashioned' cocktail sequence reveals Wisconsin's bizarre brandy obsession — they consume 1/3 of America's brandy despite being 2% of the population.
Director Holly L. De Ruyter shot this as a passion project while working full-time; many supper clubs closed permanently during COVID, making this documentary unexpectedly archival.
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