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croquettes, vegetable soup, onion rings, au gratin potatoes, and chocolate cakes (later purchased by Awrey
Bakeries) were also featured. Locations replenished inventory on a daily basis from the commissary in Battle Creek, Mich., with their own fleet of trucks. Bill Knapp placed great emphasis on the quality and freshness of the food, with added emphasis on preparing the food "from scratch."
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restaurants had to be moved back to the commissaries, to be monitored more closely. This was not as cost effective, as more foods needed to be processed and frozen to ensure safety. As commissary costs continued to rise, more of Bill Knapp's signature foods had to be outsourced to larger processing facilities.
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Bill Knapp "was interested in providing decent food for a reasonable price with friendly service." The target clientele of his restaurants was families, often three generations eating together at long tables pushed together. As the decades passed, the clientele remained nearly the same as it had when
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This overhaul of the chain's demographics, however, proved unsuccessful. Loyal diners felt alienated by the changes made; abandonment of Mr. Knapp's "from-scratch" philosophy drove these loyal customers away for good. Furthermore, the campaign failed to recruit the younger-family crowd, resulting in
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Bill Knapp's was well known for its birthday and anniversary discounts. Diners visiting Bill Knapp's on their birthdays were entitled to a percentage off of their bill based on their age. Thus, a guest 62 years old would receive a 62% discount. Those celebrating a wedding anniversary were treated to
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In 1998, after its sale to an entrepreneur from
California, Bill Knapp's instituted a "That was then, this is WOW" marketing campaign, as well as an overall revamp of the chain's image. The new ownership hung colorful shower curtains between eating booths, played rock and roll music (often loudly)
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The "That was then, this is WOW" campaign not only changed the interior and exterior décor, but the menu as well. Prior to 1996, Bill Knapp's cuisine was prepared, home style, in a commissary which supplied all of its restaurants daily or every other day. In an effort to cut costs, the commissary
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By 2000, the commissaries were becoming little more than distribution centers. Fresh, handmade hamburger patties were replaced by frozen, eggs by a powdered substitute, and even the marinated chicken breasts were coming in frozen packages. (Raw chicken breasts had been marinated overnight in the
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Bill Knapp's featured a menu primarily filled with typical family dining items. The menu included a limited breakfast, sandwiches, baskets, and luncheon and dinner plates. A children's menu, featuring meals named for animals, was also offered. Recipes for their fried chicken, bean soup, ham
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Another reason for the shift away from the made-from-scratch philosophy was a
Listeria outbreak in the early 1990s. As the restaurant struggled to recover from the negative publicity, many new, updated food safety standards were initiated. Some food preparation that was taking place in the
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model was abandoned in favor of purchasing food from food services local to each restaurant, as well as substituting Lipton soups and Kraft macaroni and cheese for the previously home-made versions provided by the commissary.
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A company controlled by Awrey's heir Marty
Carrier acquired the rights to the Bill Knapp's name and dessert recipes in 2005 and began marketing Bill Knapp's bakery products in grocery stores as well as an outlet store in
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a whole chocolate cake to take home, and in some restaurants, managers gave birthday patrons a cake to take home in addition to their discount. While the cake was being presented,
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In 2001, Bill Knapp's tried to reverse course by announcing that "The
Tradition is Back," restoring the original menu and some original décor, but by then it was too late.
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the first restaurant of the chain opened in 1948. By the 1980s and 1990s, with the breakdown of extended families, the clientele was predominantly senior citizens.
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restaurants.) While the organization elevated food safety standards, higher costs combined with lower quality led the chain to its ultimate downfall.
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throughout the dining areas, revised old building exteriors with newer, hipper color schemes, and further changes, including the installation of
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protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
Western District of Michigan. At the time the company operated 29 restaurants.
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chain. It was founded by
Clinton B. Knapp (March 13, 1907 – October 15, 1974), in
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541:"Bill Knapp's is Back - the restaurant's bakery favorites live on in Saline"
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By the end of 2002, the chain's last restaurant had closed.
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The
Internet Wayback Machine. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
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Midwest's Bill Knapp's files for
Chapter 11 - News Digests
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Tuesday May 21, 2002, Bill Knapp’s filed for voluntary
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Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002
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An open letter to Bill Knapp's guests from Jamie Brown
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450:BattleCreekEnquirer.com Retrieved on May 14, 2009
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581:Defunct restaurant chains in the United States
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591:Companies based in Battle Creek, Michigan
423:FindArticles. Retrieved on August 2, 2007
363:Learn how and when to remove this message
117:Learn how and when to remove this message
586:Defunct restaurants in the United States
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448:Bill Knapp's is gone, but not forgotten
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345:adding citations to reliable sources
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596:Defunct companies based in Michigan
499:"Bill Knapp's files for Chapter 11"
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616:2002 disestablishments in Michigan
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463:. Lansing State Journal.
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543:. 27 November 2019.
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187:Battle Creek
183:Headquarters
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107:January 2010
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44:verification
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303:video games
299:televisions
282:Bing Crosby
221:.billknapps
570:Categories
409:References
392:Chapter 11
202:Key people
161:restaurant
77:newspapers
561:LocalWiki
353:June 2012
209:, Founder
513:30 April
313:Downfall
266:The menu
256:Illinois
244:Michigan
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260:Indiana
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