After more than a decade helping shape one of Battle Ground’s most recognizable dining spots, longtime restaurant manager Fran Schreiber is preparing to step away, but not without emotion, reflection and deep ties to the community she’s served.
Schreiber’s connection to the restaurant space in the Battle Ground Village area dates back to its earliest days, when she first noticed signs of its arrival while walking through the area.
“We had a Philly cheesesteak stand that we did at the market (in the village) and I would take walks, and I walked and saw the signs on the wall and I went, ‘Wow,’” Schreiber recalled, adding that both her and her husband applied and were hired.
That moment launched what would become a 16-year journey in the space that housed Laurelwood Brewery, Northwood Brewery and now Everybody’s Brewery. Over time, Schreiber worked her way up to a leadership role, eventually becoming general manager through a competitive hiring process.
Schreiber’s tenure spanned ownership changes, economic ups and downs and even a global pandemic, all while building lasting relationships with customers and staff.
“A lot of growth,” Schreiber said of her time in Battle Ground.
But more importantly than the growth of the city that has occurred over the last 16 years, Schreiber has seen families grow and blossom, too.
“There’s a gal that started with Laurelwood, she and her husband are friends of ours, her daughter was a year and a half old,” she said. “She’s going to graduate this year. So I’ve seen a lot of kids grow from babies all the way up. I see lots of families who have been coming in here for years and years. So that’s nice. There’s a lot of community. It’s a big community and this is a very community-oriented restaurant.”
That sense of connection is what makes her upcoming departure particularly difficult.
“Oh, I’m going to miss these people,” she said, adding that she knows many patrons on a first name basis.
Throughout her career, Schreiber emphasized the importance of personal connection in the restaurant industry, crediting that approach as a key to the establishment’s longevity.
“You can’t just sit in the office,” she said. “You have to go down and talk to people.”
Handling customer concerns was also part of the job, something she approached with empathy.
“You have to take into consideration whatever’s going on with them,” Schreiber said. “Because it isn’t about me. It’s about them.”
Schreiber added that the emotional weight of retirement does make the commitment a tough one. But, for her, the decision is coming at the right time, she said.
“Well, first, I’m old enough. I’m eligible to do it,” she said. “I’ve worked a lot of years in the restaurant business, practically my entire life. And I’m just ready to go on.”
Rather than calling it retirement, Schreiber and her husband see it differently.
“We don’t call it retirement,” she said. “My husband and I call it recharging. So we’re just going to do what we want to do now.”
That could include travel, gardening, farmer’s markets, and perhaps the return of their Philly cheesesteak cart, too. Schreiber said her husband, Mitch, makes the best Philly cheesesteak sandwiches she has ever had, adding that is not just a biased opinion, “it’s just the absolute truth.”
Her steady leadership proved especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Northwood was at the time faced with sudden closure just days before St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Schreiber said the staff focused on a lot of deep cleaning to prepare for the opportunity to reopen during a time many restaurants opted to bow out.
But after reopening, hiring became a difficult task.
“I couldn’t tell you how many times that happened,” Schreiber said of no-show applicants. “So that was tough. That was hard for a while.”
Despite the obstacles, Schreiber said the team emerged stronger.
As she prepares to step away, Schreiber said her biggest takeaway centers on the people she’s met along the way.
“Probably all the people,” she said as her biggest takeaway. “All the friends that I made. I learned a lot.”
Schreiber also hopes to leave behind a mindset for those continuing in the restaurant industry.
“My thing is, don’t ever be afraid,” she said. “We’re just serving food. We’re not saving lives. Just take it easy.”
Schreiber won’t be going out silently, despite her flyer reading, “Shhhh.” Everybody’s Brewing at Northwood will be hosting a full-day celebration on Friday, April 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. to celebrate her retirement, dubbed “Fran Fest.” Tony Smiley will be providing live music during the celebration, as well.
Everybody’s Brewing at Northwood is located in the Battle Ground Village at 1401 SE Rasmussen Blvd.
