Schmidt's Sausage Haus

Schmidt's Sausage Haus is a German restaurant and sausage business located in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Its roots date to 1886, when J. Fred Schmidt opened the J. Fred Schmidt Meat Packing House. The enterprise began as a meat-packing operation rather than as the restaurant for which it is now best known, and its long association with German-style sausages helped establish a durable identity within Columbus's German Village community. The business expanded beyond its original production operation in 1914, when it established a food stand at the Ohio State Fair. The stand has returned to the fair annually and is described as the oldest concession stand at the Ohio State Fair. This recurring presence broadened the brand's visibility beyond its neighborhood restaurant and connected Schmidt's with one of Ohio's most prominent public events. A major transition occurred in 1965, when J. Fred Schmidt's grandson, George F. Schmidt, closed the original meatpacking plant. Two years later, in 1967, he opened the Schmidt's restaurant near the former plant site. The original building was later demolished and replaced with apartments, while the restaurant became the principal public expression of the Schmidt family business. The restaurant is part of the German Village historic district, which is listed on both local and national registers of historic properties. Schmidt's menu and reputation center on German-inspired sausages and traditional restaurant fare. Its Bahama Mama sausage served on a roll became especially associated with Columbus. In 2014, a Columbus Dispatch reader contest named the dish Columbus's official food after 2,900 readers voted; it received 46 percent of the vote. Schmidt's cream puffs are another well-known offering. According to the available reference material, the restaurant has served cream puffs since the 1960s, although the business's sausage-making tradition is considerably older. The brand's identity therefore combines food production, restaurant service, historic-place continuity, and event concessions. Its documented footprint is centered on Columbus and Ohio rather than on a broad national chain network. The available material does not identify a current parent company, public listing, financial information, or official website URL. Schmidt's is best understood as a locally rooted, historically significant restaurant brand whose longevity, German culinary positioning, Ohio State Fair presence, and signature sausage products have made it a recognizable Columbus institution.

Schmidt's Sausage Haus traces its history to 1886, when J. Fred Schmidt opened the J. Fred Schmidt Meat Packing House in Columbus, Ohio. The original enterprise was a meat-packing business serving the community's demand for sausages and related meat products. Its German culinary identity developed within the cultural setting of Columbus's German Village, where the business remains historically associated. In 1914, Schmidt's extended its public presence by operating a food stand at the Ohio State Fair. The concession became a recurring annual activity and is identified as the oldest concession stand at the state fair. This history is significant to the brand because it shows that Schmidt's was not limited to a fixed neighborhood location: for more than a century, it also presented its food to fair visitors from across Ohio. The family business changed direction in the 1960s. In 1965, George F. Schmidt, the grandson of J. Fred Schmidt, closed the meatpacking plant. The plant's closure ended the operation of the original production site, but it did not end the Schmidt family food business. In 1967, George F. Schmidt opened the Schmidt's restaurant near the former plant. The original meatpacking building was subsequently demolished and replaced with apartments, leaving the restaurant as the continuing public institution associated with the name. The restaurant became part of the fabric of German Village and is described as a contributing property within the German Village historic district. The district appears on both local and national registers of historic properties. Schmidt's historical significance consequently rests on both its food traditions and its place in a preserved Columbus neighborhood. The restaurant's product identity includes German-style sausages, with the Bahama Mama becoming its most publicly recognized item. The sausage is served on a roll and has been strongly associated with Columbus food culture. In 2014, a Columbus Dispatch contest asked readers to select Columbus's official food. The Bahama Mama won with 46 percent of the vote, based on 2,900 participating readers. The result reinforced Schmidt's role as a civic and culinary symbol of the city. Cream puffs are another notable part of the restaurant's offering. The available reference material states that Schmidt's has served cream puffs since the 1960s, while its sausage-making tradition reaches back to the 1880s. This combination of savory sausage specialties, dessert offerings, restaurant service, and fair concessions gives the brand a broader identity than a standalone packaged-food label. The documented history supports viewing Schmidt's as an active, locally rooted restaurant brand rather than as a national restaurant chain. Available sources do not provide verified information about current executives, ownership, financial performance, a parent company, or a current official website URL. The business's enduring recognition instead derives from its family origin, German Village location, long-running Ohio State Fair presence, historic restaurant continuity, and signature Bahama Mama and cream puff offerings.

• 2014

  Bahama Mama selected as Columbus's official food

  [1]Schmidt's Sausage Hausen.wikipedia.org

  The Bahama Mama sausage on a roll won a Columbus Dispatch reader contest, receiving 46 percent of the 2,900 votes.

• 1967

  Restaurant opens near the former plant

  [1]Schmidt's Sausage Hausen.wikipedia.org

  George F. Schmidt opened the Schmidt's restaurant near the site of the original meatpacking operation.

• 1965

  Meatpacking plant closes

  [1]Schmidt's Sausage Hausen.wikipedia.org

  George F. Schmidt, grandson of J. Fred Schmidt, closed the original meatpacking plant.

• 1914

  First Ohio State Fair food stand

  [1]Schmidt's Sausage Hausen.wikipedia.org

  Schmidt's began operating a food stand at the Ohio State Fair and has continued returning to the fair annually.

• 1886

  J. Fred Schmidt Meat Packing House opens

  [1]Schmidt's Sausage Hausen.wikipedia.org

  J. Fred Schmidt opened the meat-packing business that forms the documented origin of Schmidt's Sausage Haus.

A historic Columbus institution combining German-style sausage making, traditional restaurant dining, and long-running Ohio State Fair concessions.

• Sausage sandwich

  Bahama Mama

  The Bahama Mama is Schmidt's signature sausage served on a roll. It is the brand's most publicly celebrated food item and was selected as Columbus's official food in a 2014 Columbus Dispatch reader contest. Its recognition links a specific menu item with the broader culinary identity of Columbus.

• German-style sausage · 1886

  Schmidt's sausages

  Sausage making is the central product tradition of the Schmidt family business, whose documented origins reach back to the 1886 meat-packing house. Sausages are served through the restaurant and concession operation, including the long-running Ohio State Fair stand.

• Dessert · 1960

  Cream puffs

  Cream puffs are a longstanding Schmidt's dessert specialty. The available historical account places their service at the restaurant in the 1960s, making them part of the menu's established tradition alongside the older sausage business.

1. 1Schmidt's Sausage Hausen.wikipedia.org