In 1951 the Lessel family immigrated to the United States from Orscholz, Germany with the sponsorship of their Franz and Nick Theilmann. 

Alfons, the eldest Lessel, and his brother, Edmund, went to work for their uncles at the Thielmann meat market in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

The meat market was a booming business and the Thielmann brothers discussed building a bigger facility.

Uncle Franz moved to Sheboygan to start his new business, the Thielmann sausage factory; known today as the Old Wisconsin Sausage Factory.

 

  

 

Alfons Lessel, the eldest of the Lessel children, married Dorothy Brezoni of Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1957.

The Lessels met Alois Hoffmann working at the sausage factory and playing soccer on the Sheboygan Soccer Team. 

Alois also immigrated from Orscholz, Germany. Maria Lessel, the youngest of the Lessel children and the only girl, married Alois Hoffmann in 1957.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maria (Lessel) Hoffmann went to work at Radtke's, while Dorothy (Brezoni) Lessel worked at the Sheboygan Box Factory.

The Radtke's sold the corner Tavern to the two couples in 1961. At the time the tavern was a small building on the corner of 12th and Clara Ave.

One room was a coffee shop, and other was the tavern. When Alfons and Alois bought the business, they decided that 'Alfons & Alois' was too hard to remember and instead named it Al & Al's.

  

 

 

Soon the couples decided to add on to the building and begin a traditional Friday Night Fish Fry.

The wives cooked in their apartments above the restaurant and served it in a small addition off the back of the restaurant.

In 1972 the Lessels bought the building next door and added a large dinning room and banquet hall to serve Friday Night Fish Frys, weddings, funeral luncheons and Sunday brunch.

In 1978 the Hoffmann family decided to sell their half of the business to Al & Dorothy.

The two Al's passed away in 2006 and today Al & Al's is run by Dorothy and Alfon's daughter and son-in-law, Susie and Paul Patterson.

 

  

Al & Al's still serves Fish Fry every Friday night and brunch on Sundays.

Every morning Dorothy and Maria, still the best of friends, play cribbage with their friends in the tavern.

 In 2007 Al & Al's organized the first Oktoberfest and now we can't wait to celebrate it every year!