How one historic small business keeps its doors open after 100 years

If there’s one story Julian Kegel loves to tell, it’s about the day his great-grandmother Anna was “caught” by federal agents with flasks of whiskey hidden in her pockets during Prohibition. Luckily for the Kegel family, Wisconsin became the first state to decriminalize enforcement of Prohibition in 1928, and the ticket was tossed out—”saving” the family business.

Kegel’s great-grandfather, John Kegel Sr., had opened Kegel’s Inn, a German restaurant that operated as a “soda pop parlor” on the surface, with beer brewing in the basement and whiskey poured for the lunch crowd. “We have a whole line of collaboration beers that tell the story of Prohibition and how the restaurant has grown slowly over the years,” Kegel told Retail Brew.

As the Milwaukee institution celebrates 100 years in business, stories like Kegel’s underscore how small, family-run establishments are woven deeply into communities and how they don’t always have access to the financial support they need to thrive.

Kegel’s Inn still serves traditional German food, using recipes and cooking methods passed down from Anna herself. “I’m fourth generation now and still trying to honor that legacy of traditional restaurants, which is not usually a recipe for success,” Kegel said.

While the restaurant draws loyal regulars and out-of-towners alike, staying afloat isn’t easy, as economic pressures continue to affect businesses nationwide. That’s one of the reasons Kegel applied for the American Express Shop Small Grants Program that financially supports small businesses and features them online. In 2021, Kegel’s received the Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant for $50,000.

Kegel has used the funds to restore a 1930s neon sign, fund a structure that hosts live music and community events, invest in greenscaping in the beer garden, and take on long-deferred repairs. “A lot of these things go into deferred maintenance year after year, and our building is still standing from 1933 in its original condition,” he said. “So we did a bunch of tuck-pointing and exterior improvements to hold it up another 100 years.”

He added that the business has also gotten a lift from all the messaging around Small Business Saturday—started by Amex in 2010—and partnering with local convention and tourist centers.

Growing consumer interest in shopping small has helped, too. According to American Express’s 2025 Shop Small Impact Study, 86% of consumers say they are likely to shop small during the holiday season, including 89% of millennials and Gen Z. And since 2010, consumers have spent an estimated $201 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, per the US Chamber of Commerce.

Still, funding and demand aren’t the only factors that keep century-old businesses running. Kegel, who has spent the last decade modernizing internal tech systems and point-of-sale tech, said he believes it ultimately comes down to consistency, community presence, and energy. Most of all, it’s about culture and the relationships that build over time.

“That’s where the small businesses win,” Kegel said, “because then you’re face to face with our servers, who’ve been there for 30, 40, 50 years. That’s the built relationship that lasts with their memories.”