Our Story

My name is Robin Himebauch. I am the owner of Classic’s Restaurant & Lounge, formerly known as “The Ribs” in Shawano, WI. Our restaurant has a renowned history dating back to the late 1940’s.

Here’s the story

My parents and I purchased Classic’s in January of 2006, and opened on February 1st of 2006 with a lot of help from family and friends. As a strong family business, we have been going for over 16 years – we love it!

The Ribs was a very well-known ribs and steak restaurant with a reputation within a good 100-mile radius, although it didn’t start that way. Gracie Stewart ran a small tavern with a bar room of approximately 20’ by 20’ called “Grace’s Twin Oaks.” As she worked through the years, she made many changes and many additions to the building. A restaurant was added which was located in a completely separate building. The reason for the separation was just in case the restaurant went belly up, she still had her bar. The bar and restaurant are now adjoined by a long hallway. Living quarters were added for Grace, as well as a cement bomb shelter and numerous other rooms, all adding up to over 7000 square feet!

The Ribs had a lot of different reputations - some good, some bad. It was known as a Packer hangout with regular visits from The Green Bay Packers in the late 60’s. Bart Starr and Paul Horning are just a couple of the Packers who made regular visits from Green Bay. The food was also good and of course the ribs were the hot item on the menu. It was a fun place to meet friends, have a great time and make long-lasting memories.

On the other hand, as the years went by, laws changed, people changed and so did the restaurant. The entirety of the restaurant was very dark, dimly lit, and didn’t go over so well with the changing times. The health inspectors and the state drinking laws were becoming stricter and health codes were changing drastically. Grace at this point was content with the way things had been and was planning the rest of her future.

We still hear a lot of stories about how it was back then. If you run into the right person, you can hear old stories about the restaurant… It’s not every day you can hear a 70 year old woman talk about serving Willie Woods 2 racks of ribs!

If walls could talk… oh boy! Needless to say, The Ribs was the place to be.

So here we are - same place, different name, and remade into something far different that anything else around. Classic’s may not be anything like it used to be, but we have done pretty well at bringing back the former reputation as being “the place to be.” Classic’s is named for what the restaurant is, and so far we have definitely made a name for ourselves in the surrounding community.

We have passed along the idea of dimly lit rooms and black walls and have incorporated the building with music reminiscent to every generation. So here it is.

Upon entering Classic’s, there are numerous guitars and pictures of music legends hanging on the walls all around you. You may be a little shocked by all of the old rock n’ roll memorabilia, but guaranteed there is something here for everyone. The décor in the bar and lounge is from the 60’s and 70’s and the dining area leans to the 40’s and 50’s.

Upon entering, straight ahead is our bar, and to the left is a sunken lounge area with a fireplace, as well as a door leading into the remodeled VIP Lounge. This is where the Packers celebrated their Super bowl wins in 1966-67. It’s great for private parties or meetings, seating up to 14 for dinner. It consists of a sunken area with a fireplace and wrap around seating. The upper level is great for dinner, cocktails or just relaxing.

On the opposite side of the bar area, you will find cocktail tables, a stage area for our musicians to perform and a pool table. We have live music every Friday and Saturday night. We feature artists from all over the country who play music ranging from 60’s to 90’s classic rock, original music, bluegrass and even jazz; you can find any type of music for every age and every genre. We have turned the dance floor into something unlike anything else. It consists of album covers… that’s right it’s an album cover dance floor… pretty unique! It is a lot of fun and you are always guaranteed a good time after dinner.

We are now headed up the long hallway, where you will see over 400 vinyl records decorating the walls. Entering the dining room there are 3 dining areas with linen covered tables and candles to set the ambiance. Walk into the lower dining room and beyond the fireplace you will see the garden and pond out the back window.

My sister Nicki Himebauch is our head chef, and has received great training in the culinary field. Our menu ranges from select cut steaks (the finest beef around) to seafood, pasta dishes, chicken, veal and so much more. All entrees are served with soup and salad, and you definitely won’t leave hungry. The last Wednesday and Thursday of every month, we host a wine-pairing dinner. The dinner consists of a five-course gourmet meal, each course paired with a complimentary wine. It’s absolutely delicious.

Don’t forget when you are through with dinner, come back down to the bar & lounge and my sister Melanie will make you a great drink to sit and relax with, listen to the music and enjoy the ambiance of Classic’s. 

Hope to see you soon…

Come for the food, stay for the music.