More than a decade before earning statewide acclaim for fine dining and one of Michigan’s deepest Old World wine cellars, The Station 100 began as something far humbler: a Christmas ornament museum.
What started as her passion project soon became the foundation of a family business that would evolve far beyond what either of them expected.
In 2013, the two opened The Old Christmas Station, a small exhibition space and café housed inside Frankenmuth’s former Interurban railroad station. Visitors could admire antique ornaments while sipping coffee and sampling homemade pastries.
At the time, neither Romer nor Brunner had restaurant experience, and the plan was simply to share the collection with the public.
“Back then, we actually opened a small museum for our Christmas ornaments, with a small cafe on the side,” Brunner said. “We didn’t really have intentions for more at the time.”
But the food changed everything. Guests began returning not just for the novelty of the ornaments but for the soups, quiches, and pastries made from scratch. What began as an attraction grew into a community gathering spot, and by 2016 the pair realized they needed more formal training if they wanted to keep expanding.
Brunner, who moved to the United States at age 16, had not envisioned a culinary career. The café’s growth changed that.
“If we were going to keep going in that direction, we needed to further educate ourselves,” he said.
Brunner enrolled at Les Roches, one of the world’s top-ranked hospitality management schools, and studied at campuses in Chicago, Switzerland, and Spain. His education included internships and training at Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago and Switzerland and at a luxury resort in Tanzania.
While he studied abroad, he and his mother held regular planning calls to imagine the future of their business. Those conversations centered on a shared goal: transforming their modest European café into one of Michigan’s best fine-dining restaurants.
“We had hundreds of hours of brainstorming phone calls while I was abroad,” Brunner said. “We talked about next steps and what we were going to do once I returned from school.”
Brunner returned to Michigan in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Despite the uncertain timing, the family launched an ambitious rebranding of their business.
Ornament displays were removed, the café concept was retired, and the space was renovated to prepare for a new chapter.
The restaurant reopened as The Station 100, a name chosen both to honor the building’s original use as a train station and its address at 100 S. Main St.
“The 100 is also a symbol for giving 100% to every guest,” Brunner said.
The restaurant’s menu shifted dramatically. Instead of quiches and pastries, it now focuses on elevated dishes such as USDA prime steaks, 60-day dry-aged cuts, imported A5 Wagyu, foie gras, and Chilean sea bass. The culinary program was paired with a wine list that grew from Barb Romer’s long-standing collecting passion.
Romer had been building a wine collection for decades, and the family decided to invest heavily in expanding it. Today, The Station 100 offers nearly 600 selections and stores about 6,000 bottles in an underground cellar, emphasizing wines from Europe. The program has earned recognition from Wine Spectator, which gave it the magazine’s Best Of Award of Excellence.
The Station 100 seats about 70 guests and operates primarily on reservations. The holiday season is its busiest period, with weekend bookings in November and December often filling a week in advance.
“There is such a kind and caring relationship between businesses here,” he said. “You can call another business owner, and they will help you. It’s a warm community.”
That collaborative environment helped the family navigate its early years in the United States, when they were learning how to operate a business in a new country.
Not long after opening, they joined Michigan Retailers Association at the suggestion of several in their community, becoming members in 2014. As new business owners, Brunner said the Association helped them understand the local landscape and offered valuable guidance, particularly regarding workers’ compensation services.
Even after rebranding, the family continued to think bigger. In 2023, they completed a multiyear project to create a three-story expansion. The addition includes a banquet room that seats about 60 and a rooftop bar, which opened this fall and quickly became a popular destination.
The rooftop bar, which Brunner describes as “the nicest in Mid-Michigan,” features 200 spirits, draft and bottled beers, and full access to the restaurant’s extensive wine list. While the rooftop bar has closed for the winter, it made a strong debut in its first month.
“The rooftop bar became a hit instantly,” Brunner said.
Although the ornament museum no longer exists, the holiday spirit remains a central part of the restaurant’s identity. Each November and December, The Station 100 offers a seasonal five-course dinner that features USDA prime beef Wellington. The dish was so popular during its introduction last year that guests asked about its return throughout the following months.
“We’re very happy to have the beef Wellington available again,” Brunner said.
The holiday menu is offered with the restaurant’s regular offerings, letting visitors choose between its fine-dining staples and a festive, limited-time experience.
The family’s journey from Switzerland to Frankenmuth was shaped by heritage, opportunity and a shared love of Christmas traditions.
Brunner said Frankenmuth’s German roots made it feel familiar when they were looking for a place to settle, and the town’s enthusiasm for all things Christmas made it feel even more like home.
“We just thought it was a very nice place to pick,” he said.