Gerst Haus: 20 stories for 20 years of Gemuetlichkeit

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Our beloved Gerst Haus restaurant on West Franklin Street recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. German specialties, American favorites and one of the best beer lists in town mean folks craving anything from a braised pig knuckle to a salad to a Franziskaner Weissbier can fulfill themselves in the convivial atmosphere of the Gerst.  

Following are 20 fun Gerst Haus facts and stories from Manager Paul Ankenbrand, dining room manager Beth Ann Reisinger, Kitchen Manager Romie Kimbrell and assistant kitchen manager Sam Cowgill.

 1. The Gerst Haus seats more than 300 people. On a busy Saturday, over 1,000 people pass through the building to partake of Gemuetlichkeit.

2. Most of the Old World specialty recipes, such as the stroganoff and goulash, are from owners Jim and Jerry Chandler’s family and were first served at the original Gerst Haus Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. The process for making them is strict as the dishes must remain consistent, and they have not changed a bit in more than 20 years.

3. In the restaurant’s first year open, the Gerst Haus’ chicken tortilla soup won an award for best Mexican dish at a charity event. When kitchen manager Romie Kimbrell was working for the Sportsman’s Bar in Nashville (another Chandler property) the same chicken tortilla soup won so many awards so close together he was no longer allowed to take it to events. He was once verbally assaulted and cursed by a customer for not serving it on the expected day. At Gerst, it is served every Wednesday.

4. On a slow weekend, the Gerst Haus serves about 160 pig knuckles. Each one weighs about half a pound. Eleven gallons of beef stroganoff are made every two days. The huge pork tenderloin sandwich is made with a full 6-ounce boneless butterflied center cut chop pounded to tenderness before hand-breading; and almost 100 heads of red cabbage a week are combined with sugar, red apple and spices for the rott trohl.

5. The beer selection has more than doubled since the Gerst Haus opened in 1999. Now there are 49 taps with no repeats and about 85 bottled beers from all over the world. More than twice as much Gerst Amber Ale is sold than any other beer.

6. The Gerst Haus employs 80 people, many of them long-time employees. Manager Paul Ankenbrand has been there since 2000; dining room manager Beth Ann Reisinger was there in 1998 when the restaurant served beer during the Fall Festival but hadn’t yet opened to the public, and kitchen manager Romie Kimbrell and prep boss Theresa Kimbrell joined the restaurant upon opening in 1999.

7. Diners must request the giant soft pretzel with spicy beef and cheese dip. A few years ago, Kimbrell started offering the 6-8 serving behemoth as a special on weekends only, as their size made storage an issue.

“I started getting people calling and emailing and pestering me wanting them during the week,” he said. “I stood my ground for another three weeks, but I would serve it on sporadic days. People were asking for one on off days, and I’d say no because I was hoarding them for Friday. The story started circulating that there was this pretzel that you could only get if you ‘knew somebody.’ It was my own twisted humor. I have them all the time now, and we sell an ungodly amount of these pretzels, but you still have to ask. They’re not on the menu, and we’re not going to tell you about it.”

8. Potatoes. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, German fries, fresh cut French fries, cold German potato salad, Hot German potato salad, potato cakes…The Gerst Haus serves over 2,000 pounds of potatoes a week, every ounce of which is cleaned and peeled by hand.

9. The model train in the front window has traveled from the Nashville Gerst Haus to the Evansville Gerst Haus and back three times before landing permanently here. At one point in Nashville, it circulated with shot glasses of mouthwash so people who’d had a drink at lunch could refresh themselves before returning to work-there was a bucket by the door to spit in. The engine was once stolen and held for ransom.

10. The German bologna, bratwurst, knackwurst, smoked mettwurst and Berliner mett are made by Dewig’s in Haubstadt. The sausages are all prepared per Gerst’s own recipes and can be purchased nowhere else.

11. The beef for the sauerbraten is brined in a vinegar, burgundy wine, onion and spice mixture for three days before cooking and finishing with a ginger-laced gravy.

12. When Romie Kimbrell was discussing his upcoming Chef Challenge article with then Courier & Press food editor Becky Coudret in 2007, a kitchen employee chose the moment to turn over a large batch of chili onto the stove. As words unfit to print echoed out of the kitchen, Kimbrell abandoned the interview and ran for the back of the house—when you gotta go, you gotta go.

13. The long bar came from a tavern called the Fortune Teller in East St. Louis. Shortly after launching it toward Evansville, the truck driver made a wrong turn and was surrounded by a hostile gang who proceeded to beat on the sides of truck until he eased back onto the main road.  

14. The Gerst building, originally built in 1890, is supposedly haunted. It once contained a dentist’s office and visitors have seen children playing by the buffet, and there is a workman ghost in the basement dressed in a blue uniform or overalls.

15. During the Fall Festival, the Evansville Police Department posts a SWAT team on the Gerst Haus roof. One member has dressed as Batman.

16. General Manager Paul Ankenbrand was hired as a bartender solely because the manager was sick of bartenders always being out smoking, and Ankenbrand didn’t smoke. He was the daytime bartender for 15 years before assuming the General Manager position three years ago.

17. When the restaurant was getting a fresh coat of paint, one contractor was drinking at the bar after quitting time and decided, in his cups, to climb up to the 20 foot ceiling and paint the capital on a support post. The unsecured ladder began to slide straight down the post, taking the fresh paint and the contractor with it. He wasn’t hurt, but the scrape on the post is still there.

18. The original Gerst Haus in Nashville recently closed, so the Evansville location is now the only one in the world.

19. Almost everything at the Gerst Haus is made from scratch. Two employees work 50 hours a week dealing with potatoes, making the side dishes, stews and soups. All the salad dressings including the orange French, blue cheese, ranch and honey mustard are made in house. Hundreds upon hundreds of kraut balls, ham and Rueben rolls are prepped, mixed, chilled, scooped, rolled and breaded every week.

20. If kitchen manager Romie Kimbrell was stranded on a desert island with only one Gerst Haus dish for the rest of his life, he would choose the fried German bologna sandwich with pepper jack cheese. The sandwich is always popular but sees a large and predictable surge in sales before holidays.

If you go

The Gerst Haus is located at 2100 W Franklin St.

Phone: 812-424-1420

Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday:  11 a.m.-10 p.m.