FENNVILLE, MI -- For nearly 90 years, long before the region became a destination for wine lovers, folks have been stopping in at Fennville's What Not Inn for a bite to eat.
When the What Not Inn first opened at 2405 Blue Star Highway in Fennville in 1937, it was a small luncheonette. It doubled as an ice cream shop, tripled as a gas station and was also the check-in for a local tourist camp.
Hence the origin of the name -- people went there to eat or what not, said Will Hays, who has been a server at the restaurant for 20 years. You could also buy tchotchkes, which at the time were referred to as what-nots, he said.
"I always tease customers and say it was the Walmart of its time because it had everything," Hays said. "For a time, it was even a local bus stop."
Sometime in the 1950s, around the time the business was purchased by the second family to own it, the roadside diner became exclusively a restaurant, said current owner Jan Earl.
Earl's family is either the fourth or fifth to own it, she said. Her mother, Dortha Earl, took it over from the prior owners 20 years ago.
Earl's family also ran the nearby Earl's Farm Market for years before selling that in 2017.
The farm market, known for its blueberries, would become Waypost Brewing Co., which closed at the end of 2024.
While Waypost has closed, the What Not -- located less than a mile east of Lake Michigan -- keeps on rocking. There's live music three nights a week, hearty homestyle breakfasts on the weekend and lunch and dinner six days a week.
"People think we are so strange because we do music Saturday, Sunday and Monday," Earl said, noting they don't do live music Thursdays or Fridays. "We have music all year-round on Monday," she said.
Saturdays and Sundays, patrons can enjoy a variety of singer-songwriters and the occasional rock band while they dine -- and, like Mondays, they can enjoy the music without a cover charge.
The place, with a capacity of 100, fills up quickly, said Hays.
Monday's music is always provided by the What Not house band -- a jazz ensemble that changes by the week, featuring as many as 10 to 20 people over an evening playing horns, stringed instruments and taking turns on vocals.
"I like to call it high-class karaoke," Earl said. "You never know who is going to sing or bring in a banjo or a trombone.
"We always tell our customers, 'Watch where you are sitting because there are a lot of big instruments (that) come in.'"
For the most part, the clientele at the What Not is older, Earl said.
From Labor Day through Memorial Day, the restaurant fills up with what she calls "the loyal locals," many who come two to three times a week.
In the summer, there's a steady flow of tourists that stop in for lunch or dinner after visiting the numerous nearby vineyards. Golfers and those patronizing the local boutiques and antique shops also fill the restaurant's high-tops, bar stools and low-tops.
Patrons not only enjoy the music, but the charm of the old building.
The fireplace mantle is made of an old wooden boat that was in a Lake Michigan shipwreck, Hays said. Wood on the refinished walls is from a nearby deconstructed barn that was taken apart in the 1970s.
There are horns and framed LPs on the wall from former members of the What Not house band as well as plenty of historic photos.
Every holiday, Hays makes the place pop with seasonal decorations.
Of course, charm and music aside, the place wouldn't thrive and survive for decades if it weren't for the food.
With a team of long-term employees -- many of whom have been there almost as long as Hays and Earl -- consistency is at the heart of everything that comes out of the What Not kitchen.
There are nightly specials that stay the same, including Monday night's meatloaf (Dortha Earl's recipe), Wednesday's wet burrito platter, Thursday's burger baskets, Saturday's ribs and Sunday's pot roast (also Dortha Earl's recipe).
The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Fridays are for the traditional fish fry, where guests can indulge in all-you-can-eat fried fish, coleslaw, French fries and hush puppies for $15.95.
Daily specials such as Earl's Blueberry Bread French Toast -- which made an appearance for Mother's Day brunch - also highlight the menu and use the region's fresh fruit.
Other popular brunch items -- served from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays -- include three-egg omelets, biscuits and gravy and meats from Forest Ridge Farms.
"Really, everything is good," Hays said. "And I can't lie to you, because I have to serve you the food."
To drink, mimosas can be done with multiple fresh juices. Bloody Mary's are also a hit, he said.
On the lunch and dinner menu, only a handful of items get above the $20 mark. The lake perch fetches the highest price at $27.95.
The burgers are among the most popular items, with the deluxe What Notter Burger featuring ham and American cheese, being the top choice, Earl said.
Other items frequently ordered include the grilled salmon, the cherry walnut salad, corned beef Reuben and liver and onions. All the soups and chili are made from scratch, and most vegetables come fresh from area farms.
What Not Inn is also known for its desserts, with its coconut cakes and carrot cake drawing rave reviews, Hays said.
Somehow, amid inflation, they've managed to stay affordable, he said.
"We don't have those Saugatuck prices here," Earl said. "And we're not overly fancy like they are by the lake. ... If I can't spell it, I'm not going to make it."
For more information, visit whatnotinn.com or call 269-543-3341. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays through Fridays, as well as 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The What Not is closed on Tuesdays.