As owner Michael Olesen looks back on more than 20 years at the helm of Stockholm’s Restaurant & Brewery in downtown Geneva, it’s not the delicious food, the crafted brews he took years to develop or the events held at the restaurant that stand out.
It’s the people.
Long after customers have enjoyed their meal, they will remember the service, the feeling of warmth and the inviting spirit created by the staff at Stockholm’s.
“It’s about the quality of the staff,” Olesen says.
He recalls each of his staff who have joined him on the journey to make his dream a reality — those who have been with him since he launched the business, and many more who count their time at the restaurant in decades.
At Stockholm’s, Olesen is the captain of his crew. When a fire damaged the restaurant on July 31, 2024, Olesen wasn’t deterred from his mission. Waitstaff, hosts and dishwashers learned how to paint and clean while continuing to work and earn a paycheck.
“The damage, it was a lot. It was repairable,” Olesen says. For him, the damage wasn’t what mattered most. It was the staff that Olesen equates to family, Olesen’s crew depends on their income and that spurred him into action.
In 70 days, the restaurant reopened.
“We worked very hard to do so. The whole staff pitched in,” Olesen says, adding that it took longer to clear receipts with his insurance than it did to reopen the business.
Olesen isn’t just a restaurateur. He has methodically built a business based on the principles he developed as a college student, tenets that would become the foundation of his business and its success.
“Everything at Stockholm’s is there for a reason,” he says.
Olesen had his eye on the business well before he took ownership. Geneva is his hometown. It’s the place where, at age eight, he had a paper route — his first job.
“It’s the best place in the entire world,” Olesen says.
Stockholm’s is located on the site of a former business called Dad’s Place. After pursuing the location, Olesen leased the space in 2001. He completed an extensive remodel and officially opened Stockholm’s in 2002.
Stockholm’s is a place where couples come for a first date or their weekly getaway, and families and friends can settle in to catch up on their busy lives while indulging in Sunday brunch or the restaurant’s monthly special. Each month the chef curates a list of featured dishes, infusing seasonal flavors and longtime favorites. Olesen says with a monthly special, there is ample time to get in a few visits to try all the unique flavors. He even has guests who wait to see what’s new or mark their calendars to visit the first of the month to discover what’s next on the menu.
Every dish is made one serving at a time, Olesen says, allowing guests to customize an order, whether it’s for allergy or personal preference. The restaurant carries gluten-free items and alternatives as well.
One of the oldest microbreweries in the area, Stockholm’s is home to 14 different craft brews Olesen has proudly developed, from the golden wheat ale Valhalla to the Viking Red Ale and the State Street Pilsner. He brews in the old-world tradition, unfiltered and naturally carbonated.
Olesen even created his own root beer that he prepares in small batches, with and without alcohol. Olesen recalled how he had kids ages 18 and younger try four old-fashioned root beer recipes he brewed, taking their feedback to create a recipe that eventually became Stockholm’s Small Batch Root Beer.
“I think it’s the best root beer,” he says.
In addition to enjoying the craft brews in-house with a meal, guests can purchase growlers to go.
Olesen’s ethics go beyond the restaurant. Like many small business owners, Olesen has brought his passion for the community to serve others. He served as the chair of the board for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and he’s a board member of Friends of the Viking Ship, a group working to build a museum to house and preserve the artifact at Good Templar Park in Geneva, a ship that sailed from Norway to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition.
Stop by Stockholm’s Restaurant & Brewery at 306 W. State St. in Geneva.
Dining and Cooking