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April 14, 2025
CLINTONVILLE – Adelle Schultz grew up in the restaurant business after her family opened its first restaurant in 2003 – Schultz’s Cozy Cafe – in Tigerton.
At the time, Adelle said she was a mere eight years old.
Then, in September 2008, she said her mother opened the family’s second cafe – this one in Clintonville – called Schultz’s Bluebird Cafe.
Though she was just entering her teens then, Adelle said she has very fond memories of working in both family cafes as a child.
“I enjoyed being in the restaurants and helping out where I could,” she said. “I would sometimes overfill the coffee cups because (I couldn’t handle the coffee pot all that well). I was just a little kid trying to help.”
Today, Adelle, 30, said it’s her two daughters’ – Ivory (6) and Stella (3) – turn to spend time in the restaurant helping out mom – and grandma, Sandra, when she periodically pops in – at what is now known as Adelle’s Bluebird Cafe.
The second generation of ownership takes over
After graduating from high school, Adelle said she served in the Wisconsin National Guard for eight years.
Toward the end of her military service, she said she began contemplating the next step for her, professionally.
Growing up in a restaurant, Adelle said she had a natural love for cooking and the hospitality business.
While attending culinary school, Adelle said she was back where she felt most comfortable – working at Schultz’s Bluebird Cafe.
Before long, Adelle said it was her turn to carry on her family’s restaurant legacy.
“My mom offered (Bluebird) to me, and I told her I would love to take over the restaurant,” she said. “I took it over in January 2018 and instead of keeping the name, I changed it to Adelle’s Bluebird Cafe – but the Schultz name is still on the main window, so it’s kind of sentimental. And it’s really cool because now I have two little girls, and they help out in the restaurant. So, it’s like a nice full circle moment.”
Though Sandra retired from the Bluebird Cafe upon the sale, Adelle said she didn’t retire from the Cozy Cafe until approximately two years ago, at which time Adelle said her brother took over ownership of that restaurant.
Besides working simultaneously at both restaurants, Adelle said her mom also worked full-time at Hillshire Farms for 44 years until she retired from there, as well.
“I think that’s where I get my strong work ethic,” she said. “Not only did I help out there as a kid, I actually worked there during high school, and I remember thinking that the customers at Bluebird were so nice. I was just always in love with the Bluebird.”
Family style comfort food
Adelle said though she is a fairly young entrepreneur, she has always had a passion for cooking and baking, and was taught everything she knows by her parents – especially her mother, who taught her how to make pies from scratch.
She said the cafe offers daily breakfast and lunch specials – taking great pride in its homemade food.
Adelle said most of the menu has remained the same from when her mom ran the cafe, though she has made a few changes here and there.
Some of the cafe’s signature breakfast items include:
- The Hunter’s Skillet, featuring cheesy hashbrowns with onions and green peppers, along with your choice of ham or sausage, topped off with two eggs and toast
- A Junior Skillet, which is the same as the Hunter’s Skillet, but with smaller portions
- The Mountain Breakfast, consisting of biscuits and sausage gravy topped with two eggs and hashbrowns
“A newer item I’ve added is a cinnamon roll pancake – that’s become really popular,” she said. “A lot of people will order one on the side.”
Adelle said the cafe also has a breakfast wrap and a protein breakfast, as well as breakfast specials.
In terms of lunch options, Adelle said the Bluebird offers almost any kind of sandwich you can imagine for lunch – but one thing the cafe is known for is its Reubens.
She said “they’re very good,” and they have gotten wonderful reviews on social media.
A favorite of many customers, Adelle said, is Bluebird’s chicken club sandwich made with sourdough – though customers can request a different bread if they’d like.
The cafe, she said, also serves different soups and salads, including a chef’s salad and a chicken bacon ranch wrap
Adelle said the homemade French fries are a popular option because they’re served with the Bluebird’s signature Cozy Sauce – one of her mother’s creations.
The Farmer Ed Burger, she said, is also very popular with guests – and because it’s named after Schultz’s grandfather, it’s very special to her.
“It’s a hamburger topped with bacon, cheesy hashbrowns and an over-easy egg,” she said. “It includes your choice of fries, a cup of soup or a side salad. It’s almost like a breakfast burger, but it can also be ordered for lunch.”
When brainstorming name ideas, Adelle said it was a no-brainer to name the burger after her grandfather, Ed.
“My Grandpa Ed was a farmer, so that’s kind of how that name came about,” she said. “It has special meaning to me.”
Bluebird’s offers a standard fare of beverages, Adelle said, but the coffee is something Schultz is really proud of.
“I’m really proud of our coffee,” she said. “Coffee is so popular as a drink with breakfast, so (I go out of my way) to serve a quality coffee.”
Pies, pies and more pies
Adelle said the Bluebird’s waffle sundae – which comes in a warm Belgian waffle topped with ice cream, strawberries, Cool Whip and drizzled with chocolate syrup – is quite popular with patrons.
But of all the desserts, she said the Bluebird is best known for its homemade pies – which you can eat there or order to go.
“One of the staples of the Bluebird Cafe is my homemade pies,” she said. “Everything is homemade, crust and all. They’re extremely popular, and I sell quite a few of them.”
Adelle said she likes to think her pies are unique because she uses lard in the crusts and because the crusts are very thin.
“I’m very proud of the thin crusts I make,” she said. “I’ve never seen any others that look quite like my crusts, and I think the older generation really appreciates my use of lard in the crusts. It’s not a secret ingredient, but I think it makes a difference in the overall taste of the pie.”
Adelle said she likes making seasonal pies – especially with fruit, which, depending on the season, can include rhubarb, apple, pumpkin and raspberry, among many others.
Though she said the coconut cream pie is a fan favorite and garners a lot of praise, she doesn’t consider any pie a signature item.
“All the pies, in general, are really good and sell fast,” she said.
Adelle said she tracks how many pies she sells – between whole pies and individual pie slices – and it comes out to be about 365 pies a year.
Eight, she said, is the number of pies she usually has on hand, but if customers want a special pie order, she asks for at least a day’s notice.
Rebranding
Since taking over the restaurant, Adelle said she’s been gradually making changes to help rebrand the restaurant.
She said the interior got a new paint job – a light blue to freshen things up – and painted the business name on the bricks, trying to give it a more modern feel.
For outdoor dining in the summer, Adelle said she’s added a patio – which can seat about 30 people in addition to the 33 spots available in the cafe, in booths or tables and chairs.
“It’s really nice in the summer because it can get so crowded in the building, but with the outdoor patio, people can sit out there and enjoy their food,” she said.
Adelle said the patio – which is pet friendly – also embraces technology in a very unique way, with customers placing orders online.
“Customers can just seat themselves, so it’s a ‘seat yourself experience’ and scan the QR code that’s on the table to place their order,” she said. “You pay using your phone. The order goes right to our kitchen, and then we’ll deliver meals out to them, so it’s very convenient. The patio is like a whole different experience of its own.”
Adelle said the community is excited to have an outdoor dining option at the cafe.
“This is a project we really take pride in and wanted to contribute to our Clintonville downtown,” she said. “I feel like a lot of us in the community are really working together to make improvements and spur new businesses. I like to think I’m a part of that and am helping to improve Clintonville.”
Adelle said the shape of the restaurant itself is really unique.
“It’s 12-feet wide by 77-feet long,” she said.
Adelle said the history of it, as she’s been told, is that in the 1930s and ’40s the building used to be an alleyway.
She said it was eventually closed off by creating the new space.
The restaurant’s tagline – “Where Kindness Serves You” – Adelle said, means striving to always have a “friendly, good, positive atmosphere.”
“My staff and I are so happy to serve our customers good food (with a smiling face and a great attitude),” she said. “It’s so important to be kind and friendly to the customers. We’re very thankful for them to be in the restaurant.”
For more on Adelle’s Bluebird Cafe in Clintonville, visit adellesbluebird.com.
