SUPERIOR — A Superior supper club has been drafted for a tasty new event during the National Football League Draft in Green Bay next month. Eddie’s, located in Superior’s Allouez neighborhood, is one of 20 Wisconsin supper clubs teaming up for the Taste of the Draft on April 23.
Superior’s contribution to the event will be Eddie’s ribs. Ben Anderson, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Mary, said the recipe for the fall-off-the-bone dish isn’t written down. Mary has it memorized.
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The couple had to translate the ribs recipe, which includes “eyeballing” the amount of water and adding a “healthy amount” of spices, into standard cups and tablespoons measurements so the caterer in Green Bay could cook it up for the meal. A non-disclosure clause was part of the catering agreement.
“You don’t need to be complicated. It’s just a simple recipe and it works,” Anderson said, and the end result has kept diners coming back for decades.
Long history
Eddie’s famous rib recipe (and name) come from former owners Edgar "Eddie" and Edna Soderlund, who ran the business at 5221 E. Fourth St. from 1945 to 1968. The name Eddie’s first appeared in 1955, according to information provided by the Douglas County Historical Society.
Two outdoor signs read Eddie's and Eddie's Supper Club.
Former Eddie's signs hang outside the longtime supper club at 5221 E. Fourth St. in Superior on Tuesday, March 11. The signs overlook a new outdoor patio that Eddie's owners, Ben and Mary Anderson, plan to open this spring.
Maria Lockwood / Duluth Media Group
City directories show the central building of the restaurant dates back to 1898. It was originally a saloon run by Edward Bieloh. From 1899 to 1926, it was the G. C. Howenstine & Co. general store.
The building has been a restaurant since 1931, according to historical records; it was run from 1931 to 1937 by Agnes Rohan, from 1938 to 1943 by Cathy Cushway, and by Pearl Blundell from 1943-44. Rohan’s and Cushway’s husbands both worked for the railroad, which still operates across the street from the restaurant.
Owners since the Soderlunds have included Bev Tefft and Dina Connor. Their stories are memorialized by newspaper clippings hung up around the restaurant. The Andersons stepped into the ownership role in August 2022. The couple currently employs 30, with as many as 11 employees working during busy days.
Surprise pass
A man poses behind a bar holding a football.
Eddie's co-owner Ben Anderson holds up a NFL draft football in the restaurant at 5221 E. Fourth St. Tuesday, March 11. He and wife Mary hope to fill it with signatures from football greats at the Taste of the Draft 2025 event April 23 in Green Bay, where they will serve up the restaurant's famous ribs.
Maria Lockwood / Duluth Media Group
The Andersons almost missed their chance to serve up ribs while mingling with NFL greats. The initial email from the NFL inviting them to be part of Taste of the Draft 2025 showed up in October.
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“I thought it was spam,” Anderson said. But he returned the email. After a few exchanges and an online conference call, they were convinced.
The idea behind the supper club meal was to promote small, local Wisconsin businesses the day before the draft, Anderson said. Ticket prices are $800 to $1,000, and proceeds from the event will go to the nonprofit GENYOUth, which provides meals to Wisconsin children.
The next closest supper club attending the event is in Tomahawk, 180 miles away.
A man points at a map of Wisconsin
Eddie's co-owner Ben Anderson points on a map to Superior and Tomahawk — two northern Wisconsin communities that will be represented at the Taste of the Draft.
Maria Lockwood / Duluth Media Group
“This northern part of Wisconsin, I feel, we’re representing them,” Anderson said.
He plans to bring a blank draft football down to the event for signatures. Current and past NFL players are expected to be there, including LeRoy Butler. Anderson, a longtime Green Bay Packers fan, is excited to meet some of them face to face.
"My grandpa actually bought season tickets in '62, and my mom and my aunt have them, so I will get them eventually. My mom is from Green Bay, born and raised," he said.
Supper club tradition
What classifies a restaurant as a supper club? It features homemade comfort food in large portions, Anderson said, but every one is different. The Wisconsin Supper Clubs website calls them restaurants with a classic menu, such as a Friday fish fry, broasted chicken and ribs, served up with plenty of nostalgia.
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Other Douglas County supper clubs include Dreamland Supper Club and the Hammond Steak House.
Since taking the helm of Eddie's, the Andersons have redecorated the space and added new items to the menu. They've dealt with drain line breaks and replaced 1960s-era equipment.
An outdoor patio with 13 tables, under construction since May 2024, is nearly complete. It will serve as a waiting area for to-go orders on busy days, Anderson said, and follows the footprint of an old hotel that used to stand there.
[ Maria Lockwood](https://www.superiortelegram.com/Maria Lockwood)
By [Maria Lockwood](https://www.superiortelegram.com/Maria Lockwood)
Maria Lockwood covers news in Douglas County, Wisconsin, for the Superior Telegram.