The Gobbler Supper Club

By Bruce Shawkey

A recent article in the Watertown Daily Times about the Gobbler Supper Club triggered memories of eating there with my family during the '70s and '80s.

My cousin Pamela, whose family lived in Watertown at the time, worked there as a waitress. Here is her recollection of the place:

"I worked there for several years in high school.  Started as a bus girl, then waitress.  The decor was purple and pink. We wore pink and black polyester uniforms that reflected the times; short and form fitting, and fishnet stockings. If you didn't have short hair you had to wear a wig or a fall/hairpiece. Carrying drinks up to the other lounge area was sometimes a challenge with the purple shag carpeted stairs.  We had to pay close attention to details about our customers who sat at the rotating bar as they were in a different location by the time their food and/or drinks were ready to be served."

One memorable visit in the 1970s was when our family took my Aunt Bea there for dinner. My aunt, after getting inebriated, goosed a cocktail waitress by sliding a butterknife up her skirt as the waitress bent over to serve drinks to our table. The waitress was pissed, but didn't say anything. I was so embarrassed. It was one of those events that I couldn't unsee, and I remember it to this day.

The other thing I remember about the Gobbler was its rotating bar. The owners had to slow down the speed of the rotation because several patrons, most probably drunk, had fallen when stepping on to or off the rotating bar.

OK, without further delay, here is the article by Ed Zagorski of the Watertown Daily Times:

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The Gobbler Supper Club, which first closed in 1992, changed hands numerous times and undergone several transformations, but Ronald Berman and Jonathan Kaiser want to breathe life back into the historic and unique structure.

Clarence Hartwig founded the Gobbler, the name of which was derived from the turkey farm his family owned, in 1969. The business closed in the early 1990s. An attempt to revive the restaurant under the name of the New Gobbler occurred in 1997, but it failed. Several other ventures were undertaken at the location over the years including a banquet hall and a rib restaurant, but they didn’t stick.

Village of Johnson Creek officials granted Berman and Kaiser a conditional use permit (CUP), which they both signed Sept. 2, 2025. In their application, they noted that they had an offer to purchase the historic venue contingent upon receiving that CUP exception.

They described their plans to use the theater “to host a variety of events including but not limited to, community events, concerts, comedy shows, college and professional viewing parties with appearances from athletes, private parties, charitable events, etc,” the CUP says.

Berman and Kaiser also wrote in the CUP application, “No change in structure or use — we will be resurfacing the parking lot and making minor exterior improvements.”

They Daily Times reached out to both Berman and Kaiser, and each declined to provide comment on their plans for the venue.

“The previous owner was Dan Manesis, and I believe he purchased the property in 2014,” said Village of Johnson Creek Administrator Kyle Ellefson.

Manesis reopened the Gobbler in December 2015 after a $2.7 million renovation. The Theater featured live music performances, including country, Christian, and 1960s-80s rock bands, and it retained the fully functional rotating bar with a capacity of 100.

The venue sits on a total of 16,544 square feet and boasts three walk-in coolers, state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, and a large stage with high end dressing rooms.

In the CUP, Berman and Kaiser said, “We are going to bring this historic music venue back to life, with entertainment of all types, from all over the world. This supports the Village’s goals to bring in more tourism and economic development.

“Our proposed operation will be a catalyst for tourism growth in the Village of Johnson Creek, and with no changes to the traffic impact or zoning, it will operate in harmony with the Village goals and policies,” the two said in the CUP.

Both Berman and Kaiser agreed The Gobbler is a historic property, and they intend to retain the integrity of the building while updating the exterior aesthetics, including the roof and parking lot. “The interior will remain ‘as-is’ aside from minor decorating, furniture, and fixture upgrades,” the CUP says.

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The Wisconsin State Journal also picked up on the story, and here it is, along with the pictures that ran with the story: