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30 | I NSIGH T • D e c e m b e r 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT needed gathering space. In 2014, the county launched a second effort with a printed and downloadable supper club map bearing the new moniker of Calumet County: Supper Club Capital of the Midwest. "It's something that really sets us apart from other areas," says Dena Mooney, a planner with Calumet County. e county will promote the supper club map, also prepared jointly with Fond du Lac County, with an upcoming social media campaign, Mooney says. While it's still early in the process to label the supper club promotion as a success, the indicators so far are positive. Tourism spending for 2013, the year the "Breaking Bread" book was launched, was up nearly 10 percent from the year before, according to data compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Direct visitor spending grew to $27.7 million in 2013 from $25.3 million in 2012. Labor income grew to nearly $13.1 million, up 8.6 percent, while state and local tax revenue grew to $3.7 million, an increase of 8 percent. Figures for 2014 are not yet available. Wisconsin icons are good business. As good as the tourism revenues look, Mooney says it's not yet clear how much of those increases can be directly tied to the promotion of the region's supper clubs. However, there are signs of growing interest. "Our annual postal budget has been completely blown by sending these (books) out," she says. "Typically, we'd spend about $300 per year. We are now over $3,000." So what is it that makes supper clubs so unique? at's not always an easy question to answer, since the definition of what constitutes a supper club is a bit hazy. Easily recognized by Wisconsin natives, explaining one to an outside visitor can be a challenge. Most oen, a supper club is defined as a traditional establishment that also functions, or has a history of functioning, as a social club, according to the map created by Calumet County. In the 1930s and '40s these clubs were considered high class yet affordable. ey allowed a couple or group of friends to go to the establishment for cocktails, dinner and entertainment. Almost all of them are family "Supper clubs tend to provide a more social environment where folks can talk and enjoy themselves." – J o h n Ro e p ke, ow n e r o f R o e p ke's Vi l l a g e I n n i n Ch i l to n Fly Local. Be Home Sooner. FLYGRB.COM