WAVERLY - Customers dine at Martin's Brandenburg Restaurant for a host of reasons.

Authenticity. Fans of German cuisine crave a good schweinebraten every once in a while.

Variety. Not every restaurant offers hamburgers alongside sauerbraten and red cabbage.

Quality. Returning diners say they come back to the restaurant time and again for tasty food, a unique experience and friendly staff.

"You know that expression, 'They just go the extra mile?'" said Alyce Jenkins of Cedar Falls.

Jenkins and her husband, Carl, try to frequent the German-American eatery in Waverly once a week. The Jenkins, accompanied by their son, especially appreciate the Sunday buffet and prevailing quiet atmosphere, even on busy days.

"We like to have a conversation while we eat," Carl Jenkins said. "It's a delight to do that at Martin's."

The Jenkins and fellow customers have just weeks to schedule a last meal at Martin's Brandenburg. Owner and chef Martin Vollmer, 61, and his wife, Beverly, 62, opened their restaurant at 215 E. Bremer Ave. on Election Day in 1996. But they are ready to retire.

The Vollmers picked Feb. 17 - after the Valentine's Day rush - as their last day of service.

"It really has been very rewarding," Martin said. "It's just gotten to be very overwhelming."

Humble beginnings

The Vollmers devoted the last 12 years to creating a unique dining experience for Waverly residents and out-of-town guests. But Martin has had his nose in a cookbook for almost five decades.

Vollmer began his training in Germany at age 14 - the same age most American teens start high school. He delved into the culinary arts after an aptitude test recommended a couple of career tracks: cooking or landscaping.

Having grown up on a farm, Vollmer at the time had had his fill of the outdoors. So he chose to study under a master chef.

Back then, the allotted learning curve within the apprenticeship program was purposely slow and meticulous, Vollmer says, with responsibility dished out in small doses.

"The closest you got to the stove in the first year was to clean it," he said.

Early on, Vollmer spent hours peeling vegetables and picking the sand out of lettuce, Beverly added, implying she has heard her husband's story a time or two.

The couple met in Germany. Beverly, a native of Beloit, Wis., accepted a cleaning job at a German hotel in order to learn the language through immersion. Martin also worked at the hotel.

The pair married and settled in the Midwest. A job at Carver's Restaurant in Waverly lured the couple to Bremer County in 1973. They never left the community and have no plans to, Beverly said.

After Carver's, Martin prepared meals at the Red Fox Inn in Waverly until venturing out on his own. The couple fell in love with a storefront on East Bremer Avenue, a former jewelry shop that came with an appealing name: Brandenburg.

The name is that of the owner of the jewelry store but also refers to a geographic location in Germany.

"It looked German," Beverly said. "It had a German name."

Going out on their own had its risks, but the Vollmers welcomed the freedom despite the additional responsibilities of running a small family business with their children.

"You want to be reasonably sure what you will be doing will be working," Martin said.

For the Vollmers, achieving success required hard work - 100-hour weeks are not uncommon - skilled staff and attentiveness. Freshly laundered tablecloths line wooden tables on weekends. Reservations are accepted. Memorabilia with a German theme is display cases once used to showcase jewelry.

And the menu.

Martin offers a select and ever-changing menu insert - which on some days highlights cuisine from a particular region of Germany - along with standard offerings. Vollmer has good help in the kitchen but remains the primary chef.

"Martin's menu has to be limited because of his having to cook it all," customer Carl Jenkins said. "He just makes very nice subtle variations, seasonal variations."

Serving aesthetically pleasing entrees is also a Brandenburg staple, the Vollmers say.

Martin draws on decades of cooking experience. He's also been known to find inspiration in the photographs of Better Homes and Gardens and other magazines with food illustrations and recipes.

"More and more I believe cooking is an art," Martin said. "You have a certain image in your mind … "

He might take a standard dish and add his own twist or flare. Menu development and presentation are strong suits. But while a visually pleasing dish is important, it's not everything.

"You have to have taste, first," Martin said.

Often he ventures out of the kitchen to mingle with customers and gauge their satisfaction. Sometimes the chef delivers an entree personally.

"He likes to come out and see the people," Beverly said.

She has worked as a hostess and takes on other duties.

Ever the professional, Martin makes a traditional white chef's hat, shirt, neckerchief and slacks his uniform.

The Vollmers would like to see the Brandenburg remain open but so far no prospects have surfaced, Beverly said. The Vollmers leased the storefront.

Some customers have asked the Vollmers to reconsider and suggested the owners cut back on hours if that would make running the restaurant more manageable. The Vollmers, however, worry such a move would sacrifice quality and they aren't willing to risk it.

They'd rather finish well.

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.