Main Street
Cafe' & Catering

Catering On or Off Premise

Visits from Earl The Ghost seem to be very common at the Main Street Cafe. Owners Bernie and Kathy Osebold found out about these frequent visits not too long after moving in. "Right after we had moved in, we heard someone going up and down the stairs. Thinking it was the previous owners, we didn't think much of it. When we went down to visit with them, no one was there. We thought maybe they had left, but the door was bolted from the inside. They could have not gotten in." This would be the first of many encounters for our family. Customers and previous employees love to share their ghost stories with us. For more ghost stories, come on in, we would love to share them with you. Just ask for Earl....

It was a dark and stormy night...
O.K. So it was five o'clock in the afternoon and the storm was over. But the power was out, which left us sitting in dark, empty restaurant, sipping ice tea by candle light instead of having dinner. We were listening to Kathy and Bernie Osebold telling us about their ghost, Earl. Yes! An honest to gosh ghost who's lived in the building for many years. Kathy and Bernie were advised that their building had a ghost when they bought the place in December of 1997, and indeed Earl began to make his presence known right away. There were footfalls up and down the stairs and swinging doors. Earl likes to shake the foot of their bed. (Kathy has seen him under there.) He's even occasionally been glimpsed walking through walls and through the restaurant, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. Earl is apparently harmless and has actually been quite helpful. His activity always seems to increase before they have an electrical mishap, so they've learned to pay attention and look for problems. Interestingly the building was an electrical store (Wagner Electric ) at one time which may account for the "connection."

So, no dinner ( due to act of Earl) but next morning I, along with Dennis my husband, and Joe and Tony our sons, went back for breakfast. The Main street offers good, all American, home-style cooking. They have a full breakfast menu including old-fashioned pancakes, as well as plain or pecan waffles that can be served with ice-cream strawberries and whip cream. Both are delicious. Their gourmet omelets are out of this world, souffle like creations you can "build" yourself or order from the menu.

Carolyn, our waitperson. took our orders promptly and kept our coffee cups full. Dennis had a mushroom, onion, bacon and cheese omelet which ranks as one of two best he's ever had. I had my standard scrambled eggs, extra crispy bacon and hashbrowns with wheat toast, all cooked to perfection. The hashbrowns can be dressed up with cheese, chili, peppers, onions. ham and tomatoes. Our son, Joe, had a breakfast sandwich, he being the unadventurous type, but he ate the whole thing and pronounced it "great". Tony likes his food and he chose the Ham Lover's Breakfast. a huge breakfast of eggs, toast, hashbrowns and a gigantic heap of sliced ham. Tony can really put it away but even he couldn't finish that one. Bernie knows his way around a kitchen and we can't wait to get back there for dinner. Kathy and Bernie draw in a large lunch crowd and offer free delivery to businesses within Richmond. You can fax or call in your order and they deliver it hot and fast. They have deli sandwiches, burgers dressed the way you like, fries some really lovely sounding salads, soup, chili and coneys.

Since they moved in Kathy and Bernie have been carefully restoring and redecorating their restaurant. They figure the building is about 100 years old and are striving for an authentic period look. A beautiful stained glass chandelier graces the main dining area and they have brought back the buildings, charm with embossed wallpaper, wonderfully ornate carpeting and hand painted designs and lettering.

The Main Street Cafe is a "No Smoking" establishment. they have a meeting room and do private parties. All the food is prepared on the premises using local fruits, vegetables and herbs, whenever possible. Their bread and danish come in fresh daily from Richmond bakeries.

What's wonderful about a unique. family owned restaurant is that the owners care about quality, cleanliness; and customer satisfaction and Kathy and Bernie are always there to make sure it happens.

The Main Street Cafe is located at 68095 Main Street in Richmond and open at 8:00 am. Earl the Ghost is always there keeping an eye on the electrical systems. Phone 586-727-9118 www.richmondcafe.com

Epilogue
Earl doesn't like having his picture taken. The first roll of film taken at the Main St. Cafe jammed in the camera and was ruined, Dennis went back to take a second roll, dropped it off for processing only later to receive a call saying that the developing equipment was down. At this writing, the film is in the hands of another developer. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Introspective Magazine Summer 1999

Main Street Cafe' and Catering   
68095 Main St.
Richmond, MI 48062
586-727-9118