BY SHARON GITTLEMAN
FERNDALE – It's not often you find a poem taking center stage on a diner's menu. It's even rarer for that poem to welcome LGBT people to the table. Club Bart is just the sort of place that defies common expectations.
The poem on the Ferndale restaurant's weekend breakfast menu invited customers to enjoy more than just the food. Here's an excerpt:
"You walk in and feel right at home; meet a new face; hear a story of a different place; meet a person of another race; meet a teacher, an engineer and yes, someone queer!"
Poet Carrie Laux said she got a big response from Club Bart customers who read her verse.
"A lot of people stopped by and said they really liked it. It pretty much says that the community we have at Bart's is a big melting pot of every walk of life," said Laux, who works as a waitress at the eatery. "That's one of my favorite things about the restaurant – that everyone is welcome."
Many of the diners at Club Bart are members of the LGBT community, she said.
"Gay people are the most friendly folks that come in," said Laux.
Daniel Rogozinski from Oak Park, is just one of Club Bart's gay customers, who said he was drawn by both the atmosphere and the food. "The wait staff knows you and it's kind of like coming home again," he said.
Donald Mordell from Royal Oak has been coming to Club Bart for breakfast three times a week for four years. "All my friends come here," said Mordell, who said he was gay. "The atmosphere is wonderful. It's open. You can laugh and enjoy yourself."
While breakfast specials like Carrie's Omelet – eggs stuffed with mashed potatoes, bacon, peppers and cheese – are Rogozinski's favorite, the 10-grain hot cereal, made with apple cider, dried fruit, almonds, maple syrup, a dash of cinnamon and a serving of cream on the side is Mordells' breakfast of choice.
Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the LGBT Project for the American Civil Liberties Union recently enjoyed his first breakfast at Club Bart.
"I heard people say you have to check this place out, they have the best omelets," he said. "I saw so many people I knew. It was a very diverse crowd."
Former Birmingham Mayor Seth Chafetz said he comes to Club Bart for the food and the ambiance.
"That's one place I and my friends can always agree on," he said. "It's a nice Sunday morning atmosphere."
Nicole Cass who runs what she calls the breakfast club at Club Bart said the eatery has "a huge gay clientele."
"It's the openness here and the acceptance here," she said. "It's the great example of the Ferndale community who are open to things and embrace things. We exemplify that at Club Bart."
"It's all about the people – the laughing, joking and relationships with the people," she said. "Every minute is interesting."
Club Bart is located at 22726 Woodward Ave, in Royal Oak. Breakfast is served 7 a.m. to noon, Mon. through Fri., and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Sat. and Sun.
