ROCKFORD, Mich. — Herman’s Boy in Rockford was recently named the best small-town restaurant in Michigan. That reputation must be getting around because last weekend one of the best players on the Detroit Lions stopped by to find out firsthand.
At Herman’s Boy they were busy as usual.
“Would you like a baguette or anything else?” said a Herman’s Boy clerk, waiting on a line of customers, roasting coffee beans and making sweet treats.
“We make our own cream cheese icing for them,” said bakery manager Heidi Stasiukinas.
Last weekend, she was at her usual post in the kitchen.
“Saturday afternoon, right around lunchtime, [business] kind of was in the bag, trying to keep up with all the lunch bagels and everything that we do here, and heard kind of a commotion up front,” said Heidi.
She couldn’t see who or what was causing the commotion.
“One of our employees said, 'I think Aidan Hutchinson's in the store.' And I was like, 'Nah, what would he be doing here?'” said Heidi.
The lifelong University of Michigan fan went back to work, then decided it might be true.
“So, I decided to walk around the store, and he was sitting down eating with his friends and family, so I didn't want to interrupt him, but I'm like, 'Maybe I'll catch him on the way out and get a picture,'” said Heidi.
Unfortunately for her she didn’t get a chance to take a picture with Hutchinson, but one lucky customer did, and the celebrity sighting was shared on Facebook.
Herman’s Boy manager Zach Pawlowski said, “Everyone's kind of excited and all to have someone like that, especially with the Lions doing what they did. He's pretty well known now around the state, so it's pretty cool to have that in here.”
He says they don’t get many celebrities at Herman’s Boy, except for an occasional Ginger Zee visit.
“It's amazing that we as a family business be able to have that kind of customer base, along with all the other customers that come in. It's just wonderful,” said Zach.
Even though Heidi didn’t get her hat signed or get a photo with Hutchinson, she was just glad to see him in person in the restaurant.
Heidi said, “Missed opportunity, but very thankful that he came in. [I] hope he had a great experience. And, you know, [I] wanted to tell him thanks for stopping in, and we hope that he enjoyed his bagel dogs and stuff that they had while they were here.”
If you would like to visit Herman’s Boy, they are located on Northland Drive in Rockford, and don’t forget: Aiden Hutchinson and the Lions kick off their season Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. against the Rams at Ford Field.
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