A sign welcomes patrons to the Kaiserhoff, with Kaiserhoff owner Collin Gieseke as the new face running the show.

NEW ULM – The Kaiserhoff has been selected by readers as New Ulm’s favorite ethnic restaurant and new owner Collin Gieseke is looking to keep it that way.

Gieseke recently purchased the restaurant from Herb Knutson, who himself had purchased it on March 31, 2022 from Jan Veigel. Gieseke had worked as a cook at the Kaiserhoff since 2021 and said the initial discussions with him to take over came while he was at work.

“I made the decision to say something out loud in the kitchen,” Gieseke said. “That was ‘Oh man, I was kind of hoping to buy this place.’ Ten minutes later Herb’s coming up ‘Come on back here, we’re gonna talk.’ It went from there on purchase agreements.”

From his experience in the restaurant, Gieseke said he believes several factors make the Kaiserhoff a cut above the rest.

“The history behind this restaurant and the culture here is one of the best things we have,” he said. “We have probably the best restaurant staff I’ve ever seen in my life and the best teamwork I’ve ever seen. I was in the Air Force for four years and the teamwork there was nothing compared to what we got going on here.”

Kaiserhoff owner Collin Gieseke stands in the kitchen, where they now make everything from scratch every day.

When it comes to his employees, Gieseke said they always work together to get everything done at high standards regardless of personal feelings. He said a culture of camaraderie and support has gelled with his team.

“If somebody’s having a tough day, someone else is going to pick up the slack for them,” he said. “They know when they’re having a tough day in the future, that person’s gonna come back and pick up their slack too. We’re always looking out for each other, making sure everyone’s doing okay.”

In the past year, Gieseke said a lot has been done to keep up appearances and maintenance with the historic building. The K Bar section has been painted with a Bavarian blue and white scheme, as opposed to the standard brown and white on the restaurant section. Gieseke said he wanted to bring more color to the downtown area.

A lot of work has been done on the menu. With Gieseke at the helm, all of the menu items are now made by hand every day. Some menu items have also been reworked, but the classics have not been messed with. All of this is incorporated in the new menu launched recently.

“There were no real huge changes to the new menu,” Gieseke said. “We wanted to add things people would order that weren’t on the menu like the bacon cheeseburger and California burger. We put them on the menu to give them a price and make it easier to see.”

The Kaiserhoff’s busiest times of year are festivals, with Oktoberfest bringing in the most people every year. Holidays like Mother’s and Father’s Day are also popular. On a regular week, Friday’s 5-8 p.m. and Saturday’s 4-8 p.m. are their busiest days and times.

Gieseke recognized the competition is stiff for best ethnic restaurant. He said it is an absolute honor to have been chosen by the people in New Ulm.

“We have some of the best Mexican restaurants that I’ve seen,” Gieseke said. “I’ve lived in Texas in California. We’ve got one in particular here I think is in the top five I’ve ever been to.”

To be selected as the best of the best is something Gieseke said makes all of the hard work behind the scenes worth it.

“The last six months of work in the kitchen and revamping back there has really made a difference,” he said. “Our ideas and plans for the future; there’s something behind them. It shows me there’s a lot we can do in the future yet. See how far we can go.”

Kaiserhoff is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. They are closed Monday and Tuesday.