Sveden House Smorgasbord – Why Did They All Close?

When I was a kid and ate at the Sveden House, I always thought the “v” in "Sveden" was a “u”, because it was pronounced “Su-ee-den.” But it was just a weird “v”.

This is one of those restaurants that is sorely missed by the patrons who frequented the place. The Sveden House made chicken wings famous before they were famous! Along with the tasty wings, the Sveden House was known for their apple fritters, baked chicken, bread pudding, carrot/raisin salad, glorified rice, salad bar, roast beef (carved for you at the end of the buffet), and their famous Swedish meatballs.

Female employees were required to wear a uniform that resembled something a Swedish maid might wear: blue ruffled dress, nylons, white apron, white puffy-sleeved shirt, and white shoes. Nowadays, uniforms like these would be considered ‘sexist’, causing them to be picketed and banned!

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Sundays were always a big day; when church let out at noon, the lines would form, and the dining & banquet rooms would be full. You could get weekday lunch for just 99 cents, dinner for $1.29 and Sunday dinner for $1.49!

Michigan’s Sveden House locations included Allen Park, Ann Arbor, Bay City, Dearborn, Farmington, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Livonia, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Port Huron, Saginaw, St. Clair Shores, Taylor, Utica, Warren, and Wyoming…..and all are closed.

Sveden House was owned by the late couple, Keith & Helen Maxwell, from 1961-1994.

What would it take to bring it back?