Today we’d like to introduce you to Carl Friese. They and their team shared their story with us below:
In 1974, Hilde and Claus Friese decided to make Stone Mountain home for their business as well as a residence after moving from Germany. After years of dedicated hard work, they now call the most prominent structure in the Village of Stone Mountain home. The original lower part was built in 1920 as a filling station at a time when granite blocks from the Stone Mountain quarry were still widely used. Service seems to be engraved into this corner though it has changed from servicing cars to servicing people. It started out as a small bakery, delivering bread to Atlanta and the surrounding areas, all the way past Athens and Rome, GA. As a restaurant with largely authentic German cuisine made mostly from family recipes, the Village Corner has become a destination point. In 2013, Carl Friese took over the business from his parents and opened Stone Mountain Brewery – a part of The Village Corner. In the beginning of the brewing journey, Carl started with only four house drafts: Pilsner, Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen and Dopple Bock. Now specializing in German drafts, Carl has expanded to over ten different new house brews! The Village Corner is still very much family owned and operated and our greatest joy is having guests come and experience our slice of Germany here in Georgia.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The Village Corner, like most restaurants and businesses, experiences turmoil and hard times. The 2008 recession and COVID are definitely the two biggest conflicts we have had with out business, but through hard work and a lot of support from our dear customers, we have made it out stronger!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Village Corner?
What sets us apart from most is our authenticity and passion. Claus and Hilde Friese devoted their lives to this establishment and you can feel the love, sweat, and tears poured into the building, dishes, and bakery items from the moment you walk in. You can spot family photos throughout the entire restaurant, personal items and decorations from Germany, and hand-made paintings from our creative genius, Hilde, who is an incredibly talented painter and calligrapher – where you can see her talent represented in the custom cakes and other bakery items we produce in house. You can find Claus often sitting at the bar, conversing with customers and watching a good football (soccer) match and playing a game of chess. Not to mention, a large amount of our recipes in the bakery, restaurant, and tavern are family-owned and crafted as well. Overall, the authenticity and passion for the Village Corner can be seen and tasted in every corner and in every visit.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
All business owners and entrepreneurs are risk takers. To grapple in the unknown takes some courage and we were lucky enough that we dealt the right cards and worked hard. We would not be able to do what we do without the support from others and even that tasks risk as well. We take risks every day, big and small; trying out new specials, large financial decisions because of COVID, dealing with press, investing in marketing when it is ever-changing, etc. Our most recent risk was the operation of the brewery. The investment required a lot of money, time, and education before we were even allowed to operate as a micro-brewery. So far, it has been ten years since we started brewing our home-brewed beer and we can confirm; it was worth the risk.
Pricing:
- Appetizers range from $3-15
- Entrees range from $10-30 for lunch/dinner
- Brunch ranges from $10-25 on the weekends
- Bakery Items range from $3+ & we offer shipping!
- Custom Cakes start at $3 per slice
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.germanrestaurant.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevillagecorner/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GermanRestaurant/
