Schmidt's Sausage Haus

Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant
Map
Restaurant information
Established1886
Street address240 E. Kossuth Street,, Columbus, Ohio
CountryU.S.
Coordinates39°56′47″N 82°59′28″W / 39.946285°N 82.990998°W / 39.946285; -82.990998

Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant is a German restaurant in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The business, in operation since 1886, is a contributing part of the German Village historic district, on the local and national registers of historic properties.

History

A sausage dish at the restaurant

Schmidt's first operated as the J. Fred Schmidt Meat Packing House, opened in 1886.[1]

In 1914, Schmidt's first operated a food stand at the Ohio State Fair, and returns to the fair each year. The business is the oldest concession stand at the state fair.[2]

In 1965, J. Fred Schmidt's grandson George F. Schmidt closed the meatpacking plant. He opened the Schmidt's restaurant two years later nearby the original building, which has since been demolished and replaced with apartments.[3][4]

In 2014, the restaurant's "Bahama Mama" sausage on a roll was voted as Columbus's official food, in a Columbus Dispatch contest for readers. 2,900 readers voted for the dish, 46 percent of the total. The restaurant's cream puffs are also highly regarded, though they have been served since the 1960s, while Schmidt's has been making sausages since the 1880s.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Abraham, Lisa. "Schmidt's Bahama Mama crowned Columbus' official food". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  2. ^ Gray, Kathy Lynn. "Tradition is tops at Schmidt's, fair's oldest concession stand". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  3. ^ "Schmidt's marks 125 years in community". ThisWeek Community News. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  4. ^ Clark, John M. (2015). German Village Stories Behind the Bricks. The History Press. pp. 110–113. ISBN 9781467117760. OCLC 907885358.