MUSKEGON, Mich. — A Muskegon tradition is celebrating a century in business.
G&L has officially reached the 100-year mark, celebrating a history that stretches back to 1926 and a family recipe with roots thousands of miles away in Greece.
George Baldas started the business with his friend Louis in 1926. George’s granddaughter, Christina Achterhoff, said one of the recipes behind G&L’s familiar flavor came straight from her great-grandmother’s kitchen.
“My grandfather George Baldes started the business in 1926 with his friend Louis,” Achterhoff said. “And the spaghetti sauce recipe that is so famously loved by everyone in the area was my great-grandmother’s spaghetti sauce recipe from our village in Greece.”
A century later, people are still lining up for that familiar taste.
Customers packed the restaurant for its 100th birthday celebration, with generations of G&L fans coming together to celebrate a Muskegon business that has managed to withstand the test of time.
For longtime customer Chad Leister, who has been eating G&L chili cheese dogs for more than 25 years, the atmosphere was part of what made the celebration special.
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“Look at the atmosphere. It’s lively and everybody’s happy, and we’re having a good time,” Leister said.
Customer Dennis Davis said simply reaching the century mark is remarkable.
“The celebration. 100 years. It’s very amazing on today’s standards,” Davis said. “That’s amazing that it’s been here 100 years.”
While plenty has changed since 1926, some of the most important things at G&L have stayed the same.
Owner Pete Johnson said the restaurant has continued using its proprietary chili sauce, based on the original recipe from George and Louis, along with the hot dog customers have come to know.
Johnson and his brother have owned G&L for 31 years. He said protecting the restaurant’s history while helping the business grow has been one of their biggest goals.
“One of our biggest goals was to protect it, let it thrive, try to grow it and get to 100 years, and we have today,” Johnson said.
For Achterhoff, though, the milestone is about more than chili dogs or a successful restaurant.
Seeing what her grandfather started become part of the fabric of Muskegon has made G&L a place that still feels like home.
“It’s home,” Achterhoff said. “When I come here, I’m home. You know that feeling you get when you walk into your house and you get cozy on your couch? That’s what it feels like to me. It always has. I’ve always felt loved here and supported.”
One hundred years after it began, the family recipe is still here, the customers are still coming and a Muskegon tradition is still being served up one chili dog at a time.
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