(location) Der Schnitzlehaus

SKJAM! · November 13, 2005

The ideas just keep itching...

DER SCHNITZLEHAUS

Background: Helmut Grubermann, like many patriotic German men of the time, volunteered his services to the military during the Great War. But an accident during training severed his left leg below the knee, and he was given a medical discharge before even learning how to march properly. Stuck on the home front, he worked hard at the brewery and took an interest in economics.

After the war, Helmut realized that the punitive terms of the armistice would mean hard times ahead for Germany, and arranged for he, his wife, and their young sons to emigrate to America. They faced some discrimination in the United States, where feelings were still running high about the late war, but the community they settled in had enough people of German ancestry to soften the blow. More of a problem for Helmut was the institution of Prohibition, which ended his legal brewery employment.

Unsurprisingly, Helmut turned to bootlegging, brewing up a strong German-style beer for illegal consumption. His wife came up with the idea of opening a restaurant as a front for the distribution of their product. To their surprise, Frau Grubermann's cooking was so popular that the restaurant paid for itself even not counting the beer profits. They remodeled and expanded the building, and when Prohibition ended, Gruberbrau could be openly served, making Der Schnitzelhaus more popular than ever.

Helmut's wife died a couple of years ago, leaving her eldest son Hans in charge of the cooking.

Facilities: Der Schnitzelhaus is a two-story building, marked out by a relatively tasteful neon sign. It's open from 5 PM-1 AM Wednesday-Sunday. Inside, the decor is dark wood and murals of Bavarian landscapes, the lighting tends to be on the dim side. To the right as you enter is the coat room, followed by the front stairs. To the left is the bar area, new since the end of Prohibition. Straight ahead is the cash register/host area, beyond which is the dining room proper. At peak times, there may be up to an hour's wait for a table, but reservations or a large tip can reduce the delay.

The fare is primarily rich, filling Bavarian cuisine, though there are dishes from other German traditions and some Americanized selections as well. (The "American Steak" is a hamburger, in a rare menu joke.) Two kinds of beer are served, Gruberbrau and the local commercial brand. The wine list leans heavily towards German vintages and similar American brands. The choice of hard liquors is very small, but serious drinkers in this town usually go to a dedicated bar.

There's a small stage with a piano, and dinner music is either that or an accordionist, except on Saturdays when a small local band crams themselves into the space. The music tends heavily to polkas and waltzes. Helmut does not like jazz one bit, and won't allow it to be played.

The crowd is mostly German- or Scandanavian-American, working-to middle-class. Troublemakers are usually taken care of quietly by common consensus between the busboys and some burly regulars. Some cops are known to enjoy low-cost meals here; nothing...illegal...you understand.

In back is the bustling kitchen, which opens onto the loading dock and has the ground floor dumbwaiter.

The basement holds the storage cellar, most notable for its many barrels of Gruberbrau, and the restrooms. The ladies' room has a secret door leading to an escape tunnel. This is a remnant of Prohibition days; now it's mostly used by young women ditching unpleasant dates. The door cannot be opened from the outside as an anti-theft measure, and the exit is concealed in a thornbush. (You'd better be sure you want to dump the boy!)

Upstairs are the business offices, and the Jaegersraum, a function space. The Jaegersraum takes its name from the stuffed heads and fish that decorate the walls. Combined with the dark wood and dim lighting, the room has been known to disturb those of a nervous disposition. Various parties and club meetings take place here. The Rotary Club has a permanent reservation for Wednesday night, and the Bund has the same for Thursdays. It's rumored there's another secret exit up here, but no one outside the Grubermanns know if it's true.

Personnel:

Helmut Grubermann: Now pushing fifty, Helmut limps heavily on his artificial leg. He's got a considerable beer belly, and his grey hair constrasts with his still-dark brown walrus mustache. Helmut's German accent is still strong, and nearly unintelligible when he's angry. He likes to play the role of the jolly, generous patrician, and those who want to flatter Helmut call him "Braumeister." His major character failing is that Helmut is virulently anti-Semitic, to a degree that embarrasses even other anti-Semites. He believes that the Protocols of Zion is non-fiction and that every misery in his life was somehow secretly caused by Jews. Once he's off on a rant on the subject, those who know him make excuses to leave. Helmut isn't too fond of people of color either, but doesn't make a point of it.

Hans Grubermann: Head cook, he's in his mid-thirties, and has a paunch nearly the size of his father's. Hans has a walrus mustache like his father's as well. He's an excellent cook who's memorized and sometimes improved upon his mother's prize-winning recipes, as well as expanding his knowledge of related cuisines. He's considered a good boss by the other cooks, and everything runs smoothly when he supervises. However, at home, he is constantly quarreling with his wife, especially over the fact that as yet she has not produced children. Hans is convinced she's seeing another man behind his back, but has no real evidence yet.

Edvard Grubermann: Host and cashier. He's almost thirty, and is only a little stocky, and clean-shaven. He's in this position because he doesn't have a talent for brewing or cooking, rather than because he makes a good cashier or host. Ed is vain and short-tempered, although tipping him heavily will soothe his wounded pride and ensure a good dining experience. He is unmarried, and is not known to court women. There's a persistent rumor that Ed is "light in the loafers", but it isn't true. He secretly has a small daughter by his Mexican mistress, who he keeps in a small house in the next town.

Frederick Braun: Barman. He's a native-born American of Germanic descent, in his mid-forties. Frederick has close-cropped blond hair and bulging muscles, as well as a battered-looking face. He was a boxer, back in the day. Frederick isn't much of a talker, but listens and watches very carefully. He is divorced, twice, something of a scandal, and won't say if he has children.

Workers: Helmut hires only people of Germanic or Nordic ancestry, and prefers them to be on the substantial side. He thinks that skinny waitresses imply that the food isn't good. The Grubermanns are considered good to work for, despite their foibles, and most of the workers are long-time employees.

Campaign Use: Even Nazi spies need to eat. At least one of the "name" NPCs is a Nazi, though perhaps not all of them. Der Schnitzelhaus is also a good place to have dinner in a dark booth while making conspiratorial plans. Some plot seeds:

"Bugging the Bund": The player character knows that a Nazi spy is operating in the vicinity, but don't know exactly who it is. The local Bund is meeting tomorrow night at Der Schnitzlehaus, and they might know something. But how to get that information without alerting the spy? Some of the Bund members are full-blown Nazis themselves, others just admire Hitler for getting Germany back on its feet, and a few are being coerced with the old "ve know you haff relatiffs in Chermany" squeeze. Adjust proportions as appropriate.

"Hunter's Blood": Prominent customers of Der Schnitzelhaus are being murdered, each in the method used to kill one of the trophies in the Jaegersraum. The man shot through the heart with a high-powered rifle might have been an ordinary murder, but not the one who was found with a hook through his lip and gutted like a fish. Is this the work of a human madman, or as one frightened old man claims, the revenge of Zamael, spirit of the Black Wood?

"Raid": Or you can turn back the clock to Prohibition, and have the PCs be in on (or victims of) a raid on Der Schnitzlehaus and its illegal booze.

Thoughts, comments?

ThothAmon · November 13, 2005