By David Fleet
Editor
Goodrich-Twenty-five years ago a historic downtown building took on a new identity that today is a landmark eatery with stellar dining and hometown atmosphere.
Cranberries Café, 10250 Hegel Road opened a quarter of a century ago in August 1994 thanks to the vision of area residents Patty and Mitchel Plant, who had owned several restaurants.
“When my daughter Paige was born in 1989 we closed the last of our restaurants,” said Patty, a 1974 Goodrich High School graduate. “My husband was always looking at empty buildings to start a new restaurant. We looked in Holly, Clio and Burton. But I said no more unless it’s my hometown. My daughter was little.”
Cranberries Café started in an empty downtown building with original framework dating back to 1836 as the communities first general store. The building was rebuilt with local Atlas Bricks in 1917 and since was home to Goodrich Bank, an ice cream parlor, tanning salon and antique shop.
“The building was also the former office of dentist Dr. Sprague,” she said. “Every room had faucets and there were lots of little rooms so we tore out many of the walls. The building had been empty for a long time plus the roof leaked.”
Patty and friend Rose O’Brian opened Cranberries Café in 1994 as a hometown deli that offered soups, salads and sandwiches.

“This is our hometown, my children two boys and a daughter all went to school in Goodrich,” she said. “I was also an involved mother. We were so excited to open the deli. We did breakfast and lunch—all the powers of Goodrich came in for coffee too. Lunch was a lot of construction guys at first as they were in the process of building new schools. It was a good run.”
A fire struck a nearby store front and apartment in the summer of 1998 causing smoke and water damage to Cranberries. The restaurant was closed for seven months and during that time Plant bought out her partner. During the rebuild the original tin ceilings were reviled.
In 1999 the Plant’s expanded into the adjacent building which featured additional dining but also a full bar. The 100 year old cherry wood bar, purchased in Traverse City originated from a tavern in the Upper Peninsula. The expanded Cranberries opened 2001 and new partner Bill Rausch.
“It change the dynamics of the restaurant,” she said. “That’s were we are today.”
Now, open for lunch and dinner along with catering.
“The restaurant business is different everyday,” she said. “I’ve done other jobs but never have been happy with them as this place. I like to be a server and make people happy with food. It’s really pretty simple.”
“We do a lot of giving back to the community,” she said. “In this business you’re going to work a lot of hours. I’ve cut my hours down to about 50 hours now. There is no turn-key operations in the restaurant business you have to be a part of it and hands on. I’m am so very blessed with my staff, many have been with me since the beginning.”
“It’s a hospitality business,” said Plant. “There’s often many things go on in their life. You don’t know what brings people in for dinner—other than being hungry.”
The restaurant business is always trending, said Plant.
“There’s a fine line,” she said. “You always have to stay on the future trends. But people still want the comfort food. Like the chicken pot pie, we tried to take it off in the summer. So now we have it on the menu all the time.”
“I love it, I really do,” she said.