The Gobbler

The Gobbler

Company type	Private
Industry	Hospitality
Founded	1967
Founder	Helmut Ajango (architect), Clarence Hartwig (entrepreneur)
Defunct	1992
Headquarters	Johnson Creek, Wisconsin , United States
Area served	Wisconsin, United States
Products	Motel accommodation, supper club dining, roadside attraction

The Gobbler was a combined motel, supper club, and roadside attraction situated in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, United States. Conceived in the late 1960s by architect Helmut Ajango from Fort Atkinson for Clarence Hartwig, a local poultry processing entrepreneur, it began operations in 1967. Its menu highlighted turkey, prime rib, and steak dishes, complemented by a distinctive rotating circular bar that completed a full turn every 80 minutes. Positioned at the junction of Wisconsin Highway 26 and I-94, approximately midway between Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, the establishment ceased operations in 1992. The original structure was revitalized and reopened as the Gobbler Theater toward the end of 2015.

History

Clarence Hartwig's poultry processing facility, located just south of the supper club, shut down in 1971 after he determined that the expenses required to upgrade the plant to comply with new USDA regulations were prohibitive. At its height, this plant was Johnson Creek's largest employer, with a workforce of up to 300 individuals handling an annual volume of around 30 million pounds of poultry. Despite the plant’s closure, Hartwig’s other enterprises—the Gobbler supper club, the Cackle Shack restaurant, and the Gobbler motel—continued their operations.

In 1974, the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division found that the restaurant had discriminated against two female employees by dismissing them for refusing to wear uniforms differing from those worn by male staff. While male employees donned tuxedos, female waitresses were mandated to wear "black briefs, fishnet stockings and V-necked hunting jackets." This decision marked the first official determination of "sex discrimination based on uniform requirements."

In May 1992, Clyde Hartwig, who managed both the motel and restaurant, notified Johnson Creek officials that the establishment would "permanently cease operations" by July 26. Reports at that time indicated financial difficulties, with only seven out of roughly forty tables filled during peak dinner hours and very low motel occupancy rates. Although the restaurant closed as planned, some sources from 1995 suggest that the motel portion might have remained operational into early that year.

Post-closure

Following its sale by the Hartwig family in the early 1990s, the building hosted various dining establishments beginning with "Redondos," a Mexican restaurant that opened in 1995. Subsequent tenants included "The Round Stone Restaurant" and "The New Gobbler," which had ceased operations by mid-2002.

During the 1990s, Native American tribes including the Menominee, Potawatomi, and Lac du Flambeau Chippewa expressed interest in acquiring the property to develop a multimillion-dollar casino, hotel, and convention center complex. By 2007, the motel section was listed for sale at $6.2 million while the restaurant portion was priced at $2.3 million.

In June 2008, "The Gobbler Gala" was hosted at the restaurant as part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Tourism Program, featuring presentations by architect Helmut Ajango and Wright scholar Sidney Robinson.

To recover expenses, an auction was held in December 2009 where property assets were sold off, including petrified wood pieces from the entranceway.

In 2011, the restaurant served as a filming location for Missed Connections, a locally produced movie.

Re-opening, Temporary Closure and Sale Listing

After being purchased by Dan Manesis in 2014, The Gobbler reopened as the Gobbler Theater in December 2015. The revival preserved key original features such as the iconic revolving bar, original seating, and select interior decorations. The theater closed temporarily in 2021 without announcing plans for reopening and is presently available for sale.

Motel

Situated opposite the supper club, the Gobbler Motel was renowned for its unique futuristic Googie architecture style and comprised 49 guest rooms. Each accommodation featured waterbeds shaped like various symbols (including hearts), integrated 8-track stereo systems, circular recessed bathtubs, and vibrant shag carpeting that extended up the walls in distinctive colors. According to a 1978 report, crafting the round waterbeds necessitated the coordinated effort of two housekeepers working simultaneously.

After several changes in ownership—most notably its 1995 renaming to "King Arthur's Inn Motel"—and a prolonged period of decline, the motel ceased operations in 2001. Shortly thereafter, the Johnson Creek Fire Department utilized the building for firefighter drills and subsequently set it ablaze. The original concrete foundation remained intact until 2019. Today, the location has been transformed into a facility providing assisted living and memory care services.

See also

• List of motels
• List of supper clubs

External links

• Facebook page for The Gobbler Theater, which opened in December 2015 within the Gobbler Supper Club structure
• Website of Helmut Ajango, the architect
• James Lileks' "Institute of Official Cheer" tribute site to The Gobbler – comprehensive property details with photographs
• Television commercial for Gobbler Motel and Supper Club
• Bredahl, Brenda K. "Supper Club State: A Brief Cultural History of the Wisconsin Institution", Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine, Summer 2009. Interview featuring the latest owners of the Gobbler supper club.
• Location of the Gobbler Supper Club
• Site where the Gobbler Motel once stood