- April 28, 2024
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Schnitzel Time staff Bozena Himmel, Helmut Wachter, Angela Wachter and Sven Himmel with Angela's father, Gerhart Wachter. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Sven Himmel takes the order from Schnitzel Time's first customer. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Customers walking into Schnitzel Time minutes after they opened their doors on Nov. 9 look over the menu. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Schnitzel Time staff Bozena Himmel, Helmut Wachter, Angela Wachter and Sven Himmel with Angela's father, Gerhart Wachter. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Schnitzel Time, a German restaurant at 1755 Palm Harbor Parkway in Palm Coast, opened on Wednesday, Nov. 9, after a six-month wait.
The Schnitzel Time sign has been up on the building for months at the former pizza restaurant next to the BP station.
“People had been walking in and asking us on our Facebook page, ‘When are you going to open?’” Sven Himmel, the manager, said. “The kitchen hood here was not the right one for our business, and the first company took forever. Watson & Company made it in three-and-a-half weeks and installed it. It was an awesome job.”
The restaurant opened at 11 a.m., and by 11:05, about 10 people were waiting oin line to order.
Schnitzel Time is a small operation, with owner Helmut Wachter, his wife Angela Wachter, and Sven and his wife, Bozena Himmel, the only employees.
“We’ll have to see how busy we’ll be (before hiring additional employees),” Sven Himmel said. “We had to wait six months with no money coming in.”
The menu is small to match, with a variety of pork schnitzel and bratwurst offerings, German mac and cheese and sides including spaetzle, homemade potato salad and cucumber salad. Beverages include soft drinks and German beer.
The food is authentic. Sven’s parents were restaurant owners in Germany, where he grew up in the restaurant business. Bozena, who is from Poland, worked in Sven’s restaurant before they moved to Palm Coast about a year and a half ago.
Helmut Wachter, who is from Austria, met Bozena on social media and asked her questions about moving to the United States. He moved his whole family to Palm Coast about 10 months ago.
We want to cook fresh. Everything is homemade — the sausage, cucumber salad, potato salad, spaetzle and all of the sauces — everything except the french fries”
— SVEN HIMMEL
“We want to cook fresh. Everything is homemade — the sausage, cucumber salad, potato salad, spaetzle and all of the sauces — everything except the french fries,” Sven said.
Sven makes the sausage and cuts the schnitzel. Bozena breads and fries the schnitzel.
The two couples originally thought about opening a food truck here but they found out the food truck business in Palm Coast is hard, Sven said. Then they found the closed restaurant on Palm Harbor Parkway.
“It was dirty when we first got here. We cleaned with five people every day for two weeks,” Sven said.
They brought in new booths, tables and chairs. Sven said eventually they want to add daily specials to the menu, but with only four employees they want to feel comfortable in the kitchen first.
Prices range from $10 for bratwurst with a roll to $20 for special schnitzel with a side. Schnitzel Time is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
