In 1925, Purtell’s was a local dairy. Ice cream, milk, and butter were on the menu. A few decades later, the family added seating and started selling homemade pastries and pies . They called the business Purtell’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Shoppe.
Owner William “Bill” Traxler says he doesn’t know the exact dates of every change, but he knows a lot of Pinconning history is inside the walls of his restaurant.
Traxler is the fourth owner of the business, and though he’s not a Purtell, he still maintains many family traditions.
Kathy Purtell Wright, who sold the business to him 10 years ago, and her daughter, Jenna, still work at the restaurant, located at 409 S Mable St. in Pinconning. Traxler says Wright taught him everything he needed to know.
Along the way, he learned why the restaurant is a success. It’s all about good food. In 10 years, he hasn’t changed the name or the menu.
Traxler never intended to become a restauranteur. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education and was working at the
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Great Lakes Bay Region when a chance meeting changed the direction of his life.
He and a buddy were going golfing one day when his friend told him Purtell’s was for sale.
“Then we changed the subject. I got home that day and I didn’t even tell my wife and I goes ‘Well, I’m going to go up there and talk to whoever is in charge there.’ ”
The day he stopped, the restaurant was busy. He sat down with Wright and looked at the books.
“I go, why are you selling this? This is a profitable business.’ She didn’t want out of the business as much as she wanted out from under the ownership – a big responsibility. She is still the general manager and works three days a week.”
Getting to know the restaurant business from someone who has been in it for her whole life made the transition easier too.
“I'm probably more the business end and I had to learn all this stuff, and Kathy's been a good teacher.” He adds that once he learned the recipes, “it’s not complicated.
The recipes rely on house-made foods. Food service companies have offered him cheaper, pre-made items, but Traxler turns them away, sticking with what’s been successful throughout the decades. “I would say 80% of the stuff here we make ourselves.”
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Denyse ShannonPurtell’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Shoppe has been serving scratch-made treats in Pinconning for 100 years.The old family recipes and house-made foods have paid off. Everyone loves the food, from customers to staff. He’s particularly proud that members of his staff eat at the restaurant.
“When you hear daily comments about ‘All these pies are excellent,’ ‘The soup is excellent,’ ‘The hot turkey’s excellent,’ you don’t want to mess with it.”
The menu has all the usual categories, but also includes “Comfort Meals” – those staples that conjure up memories of warmth and home. Traxler says those hot comfort foods include chicken soup.
“When somebody is sick, they get chicken soup. It’s like a cure-all, that’s all homemade.”
Purtell’s is known for its soups, but also carries a popular ice cream dish called “The Kitchen Sink.” The Kitchen Sink consists of six scoops of ice cream piled high with a multitude of toppings. It’s served in a large dish shaped like a kitchen sink.
The ice cream isn’t made in house anymore. Since the dairy part of the business closed, Purtell’s has served Ashby Sterling Ice Cream. “(Ashby) has the highest butterfat content. That’s what makes it a better ice cream.”
What goes better with ice cream than pie?
“One of my cooks is a pie lady,” he says. “She comes in every week and makes 25 pies.”
Every one of those pies is made from scratch.
Traxler says he learned a long time ago that scratch-made food was the secret to Purtell’s success.
While Traxler isn’t making big changes, he is leaving his family's fingerprints on the place. His wife, Marla, has a hand in all the decorating, and making sure customers are met with something different each month. His son started out, like many other local high schoolers, as a “cone-kid” before heading off to Delta College.
For details on the 100th anniversary, or to check out your favorite menu items, visit Purtell’s
Facebook page.