Hudson's Classic Grill had 'amazing atmosphere' and 'super menu' | Marshfield restaurants our readers miss most

MARSHFIELD − Earlier this year, we asked readers which former restaurants they missed most in the Marshfield area. Readers suggested almost 20 restaurants that they miss in the community. Over the next several weeks, we will highlight the top five restaurants our readers miss most.

We recently featured Thomas House Restaurant at No. 5 and Marshfield Family Restaurant at No. 4.

No. 3: Hudson's Classic Grill

Hudson’s Classic Grill opened in the former Batteries Unlimited building in the Founders Square project on Sept. 9, 2002. Compass Properties had purchased the historic building and remodeled it into a two-story vintage sports bar and restaurant that’s menu ranged from deluxe hamburgers to traditional shakes and malts to gourmet entrees, according to Marshfield News-Herald archives.

The restaurant, located at 12 N. Central Ave., just north of the railroad tracks, could seat 186 people in its dining areas, bar dining and bar seating. It also had additional dining seating on the patio on the front corner of the building. When it opened, it employed 150 people.

The restaurant drew its name from the vintage Hudson Motorcar, which was built from the early 1920s to the late 1950s. The front half of a Hudson automobile was displayed in the restaurant, and the creative use of mirrors made it look like a full car. Other authentic Hudson automotive memorabilia and 50s- and 60s-themed décor was also displayed, and rock 'n' roll music was played throughout the restaurant and bar.

“This is excellent,” a patron told the News-Herald at the time of the opening. “The lunches here are great, the food is great, the wine is great, the company is great. We’ll be here often.”

Another diner said, “We were eating lunch the other day and started talking about the signs and stuff and the old days back in the 1960s."

The first Hudson's Grill restaurant and bar concept opened in the mid-1980s in Ventura, California. The Marshfield restaurant was the company's 12th location with others throughout Wisconsin, California and Michigan at the time and future expansion planned. A Hudson's also opened in Wausau on Dec. 8, 2000, and in late 2006 in Plover.

Customers who responded to the News-Herald survey seeking the most-missed restaurants in the community remembered its "super menu" and "amazing atmosphere with great food."

"It had a great atmosphere and it was delicious good," one reader wrote. "It was just a fun place to eat and family-friendly. It was a place where friends could meet up with friends!"

The restaurant was also known for its support of community events and organizations, hosting numerous tailgate fundraisers for local youth hockey teams and participating in a variety of cooking contest fundraisers. When the Marshfield Area United Way needed a boost to reach its fundraising goal, Hudson's stepped up with happy hour specials. In March 2003, they donated a portion of sales to help the Stratford Area Fire Department purchase new defibrillators.

In October 2013, it was announced that Hudson's in both Marshfield and Wausau had closed their doors after more than a decade in business. The Plover location had previously closed in November 2011.

The historic Marshfield building is now home to Casa Amigos Mexican Restaurant, which opened its second location in the space in February 2022.

History of 12 N. Central Ave. in Marshfield

Before it was Hudson's Classic Grill, the space at 12 N. Central Ave. was home to a number of businesses including H. Ebbe Co., William Noll Hardware Co.'s warehouse and Marshfield Lumber & Supply.

In January 1977, the building was purchased by Al and Marlene Hundt and was opened as a battery wholesale and retail business geared toward the “multi-battery user,” the owners told the News-Herald at the time. Batteries Unlimited offered all types, sizes and capacities of batteries for everything from domestic and import cars to trucks to farm equipment along with batteries for marine, lawn and garden, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and generators. The Hundts eventually sold the business and a few years later the inventory went to auction.

The former Batteries Unlimited building was then purchased by Compass Properties and remodeled to become Hudson's Classic Grill. Crews installed a large beam, supported by three 10-by-10 timbers in the dining section of the building to support the roof, and they removed the building's second floor to create a two-story dining room. The beams throughout the restaurant were refinished and the rest of the structure was remodeled to fit the Hudson's traditional motif. A section was added on to the front of the building to create a sports bar area with an open-beam ceiling along with an outdoor patio dining area at the front of the restaurant.

The developer told the News-Herald that the reason the historic building worked so well for the new restaurant was "that Hudson's likes the garage-style atmosphere."

The project to renovate the former battery store into a vintage-style eatery received the Main Street Marshfield "Special Recognition" Award for 2003.

"When you look at that historic building that they put their home into, it's quite a unique feat," the organization said in its presentation to honor downtown improvements that year.

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Editor Jamie Rokus can be contacted at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.

This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Marshfield restaurants: Hudson's had amazing atmosphere and super menu