The Sandpiper Supper Club was located at 4785 Hodgson Road (Highway 49) in Shoreview, north of Highway 694.

HALFWAY HOUSE

Mary Hilfiker, who edited “Shoreview Reflections,” a history of the community, said that when truck farmers from Anoka were bringing their goods to market in St. Paul by horse and wagon, they would stop for the night at an inn at the intersection there called the Halfway House.  It was unclear which sector of the intersection the Inn was located.

SHOREVIEW TAVERN

The first venue that comes up under the address is the Shoreview Tavern, operated by Michael J. Dougher, who received his liquor license by the Shoreview Village Council on November 28, 1961.

In February 1965, two people were listed as living at this address.  There was apparently a detached house on the property.

---

 

THE SANDPIPER SUPPER CLUB

The Sandpiper held its Grand Opening on November 11 and 12, 1966.  (Meetings were held at the Sandpiper Restaurant back to November 1, 1966.)  The Mel Calvert Combo entertained.

 

 

In 1967 you could dance to Cindy and the Chordsmen, Wednesday-Saturday.

In February 1968, there were several liens on the property, and there were articles about it being sold, but one has to assume that it was – no follow-up was found.

That same month, February 1968, saw the introduction of the Visconti Show Band, from the Sunny Shores of Italy.  This first engagement lasted until August 1968. They would return in April 1969 – please see the ad below.

---

 

In October 1968, Kay Nygaard took the stage at the Sandpiper.  Not sure what “Set your course to the BRIG  Rock to the seinging sounds of the BMI” might mean.

 

---

 

CLIPPER SHIP AT THE SANDPIPER

Here is the Visconti Show Band back again.  This time they are launching the clipper ship “Piper-on-the-Rocks on May 2, 1969.  Bill Robertson, a Glen Campbell doppelganger, performed in the ship’s hold.

 

---

 

An ad dated September 7, 1969, announced that “Total Entertainment returns to the fabulous Sandpiper Supper Club,” starting with a musical comedy group called the Cameron Company.

 

 

---

 

In 1976 the Manager was Joe Daszkiewicz.  One article indicated that there was an outdoor boxing ring.

There was a dearth of advertising, but the ad below indicates that the Royal Strings had been entertaining since about 1973.  Not sure what a “Cathedral Atmosphere” would be.

 

---

 

ABANDON SHIP

In June 1977,  the Sandpiper was put up for sale by the U.S. Small Business Administration in a sealed bid auction.  My guess is that the owner forfeited on an SBA loan and it went into the agency’s inventory to be sold.  The restaurant was abandoned and “a total mess,” according to historian Mary Hilfiker.

---

 

KOZLAK’S ROYAL OAK RESTAURANT

Ruth and Jack Kozlak bought the restaurant a little more than a week after Jack spotted the auction notice in a Sunday newspaper.  Jack’s parents were Joseph and Gertrude Kozlak, who founded Jax Café in Minneapolis in 1943. Their three sons later went into the business and built Jax into one of the state’s largest free-standing restaurants.

Kozlak’s opened in 1977 and became known for its New Orleans Jazz Brunch.

 

 

---

 

THE END

Jack Kozlak died in 2012, and the Kozlak’s building and land were put into a trust as part of the estate.  Kozlak’s daughter Lynn and her husband Mark Satt kept the business, but it was always part of the plan to eventually sell the property.  Kozlak’s closed on March 15, 2014.

The following are excerpts from an article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune written by Jim Anderson, published on March 4, 2014.

The Kozlak’s property has been sold, and the restaurant at the busy corner of Hodgson Road and Tanglewood Drive in Shoreview will be demolished to make way for a 77-unit senior residential cooperative. Construction is planned to start this summer.

Lynn Satt said the couple have been searching for the past several months for a new restaurant to buy or operate, and would like to keep as many employees, many of whom have been at Kozlak’s for years, on staff as possible.

“We’d like to stay on this side of town; it could even be Stillwater, Vadnais Heights. There’s just not a lot available. It’s been difficult,” said Satt, who along with her husband is the third generation of restaurateurs in the Kozlak family. “If there was a country club, we could walk in and run their catering operation. Our staff is so good at weddings.”

The next couple of weeks will be savored as a farewell celebration, with the Jimtones, Mark Satt’s rock band, playing a final time on Saturday night.

Mary Hilfiker said the restaurant will definitely be missed. It has been both a place for special occasions and for a core of local regulars who appreciated the kind of elegant dining experience that is becoming more rare.

“It was really the only place in the northern suburbs for that kind of thing,” Hilfiker said. Longtime staff and customers know one another’s names, and the garden, patio and mature oak trees made it a relaxed setting.

Terry Schwerm, Shoreview’s city manager, said the city has been working with the Satts to relocate the restaurant in Shoreview.

In the meantime, Schwerm said converting the old restaurant into new housing for seniors will put the property to good use. The purchase price for the site, which includes an adjoining lot with a single-family home, was $1.3 million, city records show.

Schwerm said creating new housing for seniors will help fill a growing need in the city. The United Properties development, located near the city’s community center and other amenities, is geared for younger seniors who are still active and don’t need care.

As for the property’s majestic oaks, 13 of the 18 mature trees will be spared, according to the redevelopment plans. Dozens of new trees will be added, as well.