Chow Down: The Detroiter, Woodhaven, MI

By Steve Johnson

When you think of “big” commercial operations, you generally think of operations that are corporately financed. In retailing, a big operation is manifested in the form of “big box” stores—Home Depot, Costco, Best Buy, and Target—all big boxes, all corporately owned. Indeed, from shopping malls to multiplex cinemas, big is beautiful, generously brought to you by the largesse of corporate America. In general, nothing differentiates local ownership from corporate ownership more than the size of the operation; big is corporate, small is private.

With every rule there are exceptions. Welcome to The Detroiter Traveler Center. This operation might not appear mom-and-pop, but it has been privately owned for two generations, conducting business on a massive scale for 42 years. The 40-acre Detroiter Truck Stop has parking for 300 trucks, a restaurant that seats 174, a 20-room hotel, a dozen private showers, a 4-bay garage, two general stores, a barber shop, a deli, numerous fuel bays, TV lounge, game room, Federal Express service … in fact, a list so extensive one needs to visit their Web site, www.detroiter.net, in effort to retain it all.

Bill Vollenweider is behind this behemoth, keeping all facets of the business operating smoothly. “I started working in the family business at age 16, pumping gas, flipping burgers and assisting in the general store. After college, I returned serving management stints with the restaurant, the retail store, progressing to assistant general manager, then general manager roughly two decades ago.” In Vollenweider’s 40+ years of involvement he’s seen it all and done it all. “The industry has changed tremendously in the last 40 years,” adds Vollenweider.

Independent businessmen are challenged by chain operations everyday of the week. If a seemly limitless access to capital and a national presence were the only determinants of success, The Detroiter Travel Center would have faltered long ago. Understanding your market, knowing your customers, responding to their needs better than others, and being good stewards of your assets—that’s what it takes to be successful in today’s competitive marketplace.

One of Vollenweider’s assets is The Birch Tree Café, the on-site restaurant. “The restaurant is opened seven-days-a-week from 6:00 a.m. until midnight. Our customer mix is 50% trucker and 50% local residents,” says Vollenweider. The local resident trade is an indicator to this writer that the Birch Tree must be a good place to eat, for other choices surely abound. “Our menu could be considered comfort food,” states Vollenweider. “On Fridays we feature all you can eat fish. Saturday we offer a breakfast buffet, Sunday we have an all day buffet. Favorite menu items…” Vollenweider pauses before he replies, “The Detroiter Country-Style Breakfast is served throughout the day and accordingly is a popular item. There’s a smothered chicken sandwich, that’s popular. We sell a lot of hamburgers; we named ours “The Marauder,” a tribute to my father’s service during WWII. In fact, my father logged 72 missions over Europe flying the B-26 Marauder,” concludes Vollenweider. That’s remarkable, considering the Marauder had a nickname reflective of the planes hazardous duty—The Widowmaker.

Another key to Vollenweider’s success has been his willingness to reinvest in The Detroiter. “We’ve had several remodels and additions over the years, the most significant expansion and remodel occurred in 1988.”

The truck stop has some unique features. On this acreage, a turn-of-the-century barn once stood. During expansion, while removing that barn, the decision was made to turn some of the old timbers into rustic paneling for The Birch Tree Restaurant. In fact, a barn door was integrated into the interior design as well.

The physical location of The Detroiter has been a factor in its success. The Detroiter is adjacent to I-75, just 15 miles south of Detroit, and 15 miles from Windsor, Ontario, at Exit-32 in Woodhaven, Michigan. The close proximately to the Canadian boarder allows The Detroiter to offer another service appreciated by truckers—pre-custom inspections.

Either by their location, longevity, the willingness of management to “forward think,” i.e. free WIFI, or more likely a combination of all of the above, The Detroiter Travel Center has become somewhat of an institution in both the local community and transportation industry as well. The restaurant has been the gathering sight of many civic organizations from the Rotary Club to Bible study groups; showcasing that behind the brick and mortar, behind all the inventory dollars, in addition to all the fish you can eat on Friday, lies the paramount desire to serve and understand value in good customer, community and industry relations.

The restaurant has been the gathering sight of many civic organizations from the Rotary Club to Bible study groups.

The Detroiter pops up on Web sites as diverse as, “All American Truck Stop Cookbook” to Cyber Trucker. Elite Truck Detailing describes The Detroiter as a “Mall within a truck stop.” Vollenweider has served on the board of several transportation industry groups including AmBest, the national truck stop group to which he belongs, and NATSO. The Detroiter often hosts The Expedite Expo and America’s Traveling Truck Show, which featured driver troubadour Joey Holiday. If celebrity patronage interests you, be assured in 40+ years The Detroiter has had their share of celebrity visits. Vollenweider can recall tour buses from celebrities as diverse as Bob Hope to Billy Idol.

I mentioned earlier in this article that independent businessmen need to be forward thinkers. Vollenweider’s business savvy came into play August 14, 2003, when the Northeast United States experienced a huge electrical blackout. The Detroiter Travel Center had generator back-up power, and became an island of light in a sea of darkness. I’d like to say The Detroiter, due to it’s power, became an island of civility in a sea of unrest but this was not so. Word of The Detroiter’s ability to pump gas, process credit card transactions and serve food spread like wild fire. It took Vollenweider’s presence at the fuel pumps to see that petrol was fairly allocated so many could benefit. It was a day that at times brought the worst out of some customers and strained staff to the limit. A day where lesser men with lesser organizations would have faltered.

Due to effective management the torrid days are few and the pleasant days are many. Pleasant days when Dolly Parton graces your business, or an employee expresses a desire to hold her wedding shower at the restaurant, or even the day when an employee of 42 years, still desires to work part-time and you are greeted by her smile. Those are the days when the joys of private ownership are most evident.

So, if you are rolling through Michigan towards Detroit or plan to cross the Canadian border, pay The Detroiter a visit. Save some time to eat; if you’re lucky it will be Friday and you can enjoy all the fish you can eat, if not enjoy The Marauder burger. Walk around the place understanding that this operation reflects two generations of one family’s vision and the entire staffs desire to serve the transportation industry.

For more information on The Detroiter, visit www.detroiter.net. Pick up the next issue of CareersinGear.com Magazine for our next featured roadside restaurant stop!