William White and his partner Jennifer Brooke Byrom bought Travelers Club, 2138 Hamilton Road, in Okemos, in 1982 as an ice cream parlor, initially intending to pursue a clothing design business, and transformed it into an international restaurant. Eventually, White’s hobby of playing the tuba was integrated with the love of international foods, which led to the addition of the tuba museum.
“The number of tubas I had were too many to take up space for chairs, so we had to hang them on the walls,” White said.
Travelers Club also carries a wide variety of local and foreign beers, which recently expanded to 202 varieties, and is also the smallest brewery in Michigan, producing about one barrel per year.
White, who emphasized the restaurant’s focus on local foods’ role in the community, said between 70 and 80 percent of their menu comes from within a 75-mile radius.
“We’re definitely unique, and people remember that,” White said.
William White and his business partner Jennifer Brooke Byrom bought Travelers Club, 2138 Hamilton Road, in Okemos, in 1982 as an ice cream parlor. The pair initially intended to pursue a clothing design business. Instead, they transformed it into an international restaurant.
“Every two weeks, we change the special,” White said. “Every month it’s a different part of the world. It’s like a traveling menu. You can send your taste buds around the world without leaving home.”
But they didn’t stop there. White’s hobby of playing the tuba was integrated with his love of international foods, which led to the addition of the tuba museum.
“The number of tubas I had were too many to take up space for chairs, so we had to hang them on the walls,” White said.
With the acquisition of a beer and wine license came a wide variety of local and foreign beers, which recently expanded to 202 varieties.
“It’s the largest selection in the mid-Michigan area, and probably in the top 10 or 20 in the country for the number of beers in one location,” White said.
The Travelers Club also is the smallest brewery in Michigan, producing about one barrel per year.
When the restaurant opened, many of the menu items were new to the area, and though that has changed, most items on the menu haven’t.
“We’re definitely unique, and people remember that,” White said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
