Lost Restaurants of Grand Rapids a Trip Down Memory Lane at Public Museum

This coming Tuesday, December 8, the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will partner with author Norma Lewis to bring Lost Restaurants of Grand Rapids to the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Curiosity Shop.

Lost Restaurants of Grand Rapids is Norma Lewis' ninth book. She has authored five books with Arcadia Publishing, three of them with her late husband Jay de Vries and has also published a children’s book on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Grand Rapids restaurants have served up meals and memories since the city’s earliest days. In this historical novel, the author explores the history of Grand Rapids’ most beloved eateries and the stories behind them. Some examples include, Bentham’s, one of the first downtown restaurants, where customers without money to eat could trade an animal pelt for supper. John Sebaitis, a local tavern owner, trained his German shepherd, Spooky, to serve beer to the patrons. And a seventeen year old, Gerald R. Ford worked part time as a server and dishwasher at Bill’s Place.

You can be one of the first to purchase a copy of Lost Restaurants of Grand Rapids, at a book signing event outside the GRPM’s Curiosity Shop on Tuesday, December 8 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Guests will be able to talk with Norma Lewis, who can answer any questions about historical restaurants in Grand Rapids, as well as get their books signed. All proceeds from book sales will benefit the GRPM. Attending the book signing event is free to the public and does not include admission to the Museum. For more information about this event and the author, please visit grpm.org/Calendar.