Home To An Antique Doll Collection, Kewpee In Wisconsin Is A Weirdly Wonderful Place To Dine
By Daniella DiRienzo|Published August 11, 2020
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Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
You won’t find a more doll-icious place to dine than Kewpee. The retro eatery serves up a tasty diner fare, including impressively tasty burgers. But its most interesting feature is the antique doll collection it houses. Yep, you read that right; there are hundreds of dolls right inside the restaurant! And if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to snag a table right next to the display case that contains the collection. Take a look:
Kewpee is one of the oldest hamburger franchises in the country. Prior to WWII, there were more than 200. Today, only six remain – and one of them is in Racine.
Despite relocating in the '90s, the restaurant serves up major vintage vibes, thanks to its art-deco design. The interior is complete with horseshoe-shaped lunch counters, vinyl chairs, and other old-school nods.
For those unfamiliar, Kewpie dolls were inspired by a comic strip character that was created in 1909. Several years later, the cartoon image was brought to life as a toy doll, which quickly rose to popularity and became highly sought after.
There are a few tables right next to the display case which afford close-up views of the massive collection. Of course, you can view the collection from basically anywhere in the eatery.
Nearly as impressive as the doll collection is the menu, which is small but boasts an array of appetizing diner classics, such as homemade chili, burgers, and sandwiches.
The retro digs, antique doll collection, and classic fare aren’t the only things about Kewpee that’ll transport you back to the good old days, though. The low prices are also sure to do the trick.
Kewpee is open Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call (262) 634-9601. You can also visit the Kewpee Facebook page.
So, did you know about this quirky eatery? Ever visited? If so, did you try a burger? What’d you think? Tell us in the comments section.
This isn’t the state’s only wonderfully weird site. Read about others here.
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