Every lucky town has one: that casual, homespun eatery where everyone goes to get good, affordable food and shoot the breeze with friends and neighbors. In Northville, Klippel’s Kozy Korner on Bridge Street is that welcoming, Cheers-like place (minus the alcohol) ‘where everybody knows your name.’ Owned and operated by siblings James and Heather Klippel—who purchased the business from their father, Russell, in 2011—the bustling café/deli recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary.

“I was working in a family restaurant in the Catskills in 1995,” Russ Klippel recalls, “when I saw a FOR SALE ad in the paper for this small place in Northville. I was ready for a change, and the business was up and running, so my wife, Lynda, and I just built on what was already here. We actually moved our family to Northville on Halloween that year. After trick-or-treating with our kids downstate, we all piled into our old station wagon and headed north.”

Having helped out in their parents’ deli since childhood, James and Heather learned the restaurant business from the ground up. “We started out dishwashing, sweeping, and mopping,” Heather grins. “Every kid liked snow days—except for us. We got put to work! We definitely learned a work ethic early. Later, after earning my degree in accounting, I returned to Northville. Dad was on his way out by then, so James and I decided to kind of take things over—and here we are.”

Klippel's Kozy Korner offers takeout, catering, and casual dining, inside or out.

An outside menu board announces Klippel's daily specials.

According to James, taking over the deli was a natural next step. “Both our parents had run restaurants, so we learned a lot from them. My mother’s father had more of a French-style restaurant with great homemade desserts, and there was a German chef at my father’s restaurant who really knew how to cook. We learned a lot of German foods and baking tricks from him.”

Heather credits her mother with teaching them the importance of patience. “Things don’t always go the way you’d like, so patience is key. Mom was always out front, the first person you saw when you walked into Klippel’s. She was our calm centerpiece, keeping everything together.”   

Since purchasing the business in 2011, Heather and James have spruced up the building’s exterior and greatly expanded their line of homemade soups and baked goods. Heather makes their turnovers, muffins, cookies, brownies, rice pudding, and cream pies, along with a wide variety of cheesecakes.

“But James bakes also,” she says, “and our nieces, Talia and Lily, are doing a lot of it now, too. We have all our family recipes in a little book, and we enjoy experimenting, taking a basic recipe and tweaking it.”

Klippel’s Kozy Korner offers dine-in, take-out, and catering. They’ve catered weddings for 100 people, made food for church and school fundraisers, and put on birthday parties for little ones. “We do pretty much anything,” says Heather, “whatever the community needs. If we can do it, we will try our best.”

Comfort foods are a staple at Klippel’s. “We’re known for our daily specials,” James points out, “a lot of them old-time favorites like chicken parm, meatloaf, pot roast, stuffed peppers, and chicken ‘n biscuits. Not many places still offer these items, but they’re popular, they’re our favorites, and that’s why we run them.”

The camaraderie at Klippel’s is palpable. “After 30 years, we’ve had multiple generations coming through our doors,” Russ muses. “We’ve had parents coming with their kids, who now have kids of their own. Actually, we have three generations working here now. Lynda and I still help out, plus James and Heather and two of our granddaughters.”

Longtime employee and front-end worker Sara Wilson is a beloved fixture at Klippel’s. “When Heather and I purchased the place,” James explains, “I reached out to Sara, who had gone to culinary school and was actually running a kitchen at the time. We’d been best friends since middle school, and Sara is incredibly friendly. She knows everybody in town, and she isn’t intimidated by our extensive menu board. She’s a great front-end person and a great asset, genuinely interested in everyone who walks through that door. It doesn’t matter if Sara knows you or not. She’s going to know you by the time you leave.”

Klippel’s gears its menu towards adults but goes out of its way to meet the needs of school kids who pop in at lunchtime. “We have a special white board for kids, listing our daily specials,” Russ says. “For five bucks, they can have lunch here with their friends. And if someone has a bag lunch and wants to join them, that’s okay, too. We don’t want anyone to feel left out.

“The restaurant business is a lot different now than it was years ago,” he muses. “Unless you have enough staff—and most places don’t have enough staff—you’ve got to make it work for you. Four or five of our Klippel’s workers put in 10-12 hour shifts daily, so years ago we decided to close down on weekends.  It’s a lot easier for our staff to get through a 60-70 hour work week if they know they have two days off. We also close down the restaurant during February, our slowest month. That gives everyone a chance to recuperate and regroup.”

Consistency and affordability are key goals at Klippel’s. “Keeping things affordable for the locals is important to us,” James says. “We had a big family growing up, and we want to make eating-out affordable for families, not just on special occasions but any time.”

Klippel’s Kozy Korner isn’t flashy. It’s a modest hometown establishment with an impressively large menu board, delicious lunch and dinner options, amazing desserts, and friendly service. Heather, an avid antiques collector, has decorated the eatery with pieces from her own extensive collection. With its vintage displays and soft lighting, there’s a timeless aura to the place that makes it the perfect gathering spot for people of all ages.

“We’ve had plenty of people tell us that they’ve driven by for 10, 20, 30 years and never stopped in,” James says. “And then, after they finally do stop, we see them almost every week. We have a lot to offer—a lot more than you might imagine when seeing the place from the outside. So, if you’ve ever driven by and wondered about us, I encourage you to stop in and visit.”

Klippel’s Kozy Korner
221 Bridge St, Northville, NY, 12134

(518) 863-8550.

Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Closed February

See FB for daily specials: facebook.com/klippelskozykorner12134