So what's the secret to success for a downtown restaurant that's survived recessions, countless new competitors, trends, and more?

“Not much has changed,” says Mode's Bum Steer owner Anita Mode, who with then-fiance Bob opened Mode’s in downtown Traverse City in 1975. From the staff and the menu to the décor and the vibe, it's easy to get lost in time inside the State Street mainstay, which is marking 40 years next month.

The April 7 anniversary also comes with a somewhat dubious distinction for Anita Mode: She describes herself as the oldest owner of a bar in Traverse City (Bob passed away in 2007).

She’s been able to watch two of the three Mode children, Skylar and Chris, take active roles in the business – an involvement that began decades ago with Chris wrapping potatoes in foil and Skylar helping the cooks peel shrimp on Saturday mornings. Skylar is now manager and Chris spends his time behind the bar.

Then there’s the non-Mode family, who have engendered a loyal following in their decades of service –led by Debbie and Kathy, members of the waitstaff for 30 years and 24 years, respectively, along with Dennis, who has spent the last 30 years in the kitchen. Carrie, who recently left for a new gig at Nolan’s Cigar Bar, had been behind the bar for nearly 27 years.

At first, cocktails were Mode’s bread and butter, Mode recalls. Then the lunch business started growing – with just a broiler for making hamburgers or sandwiches at the end of the bar – and then came the steak dinners.

The first entrée was an 8-ounce sirloin, baked potato and a wedge of lettuce, though customers were unsure at first.

“People ordered it well done, not medium rare, so we raised the price by a buck without changing the meat,” Mode says. “Then people started ordering it like they should because they thought the meat was better.”

Its steak business has never turned back.

“We had to sell our house to buy it,” says Mode as she reflects on the origins. The couple lived above the restaurant for the first several years, even after adding two children to the family.

Mode says the best business decision she and Bob ever made was to stay open late and serve hot food until close.

“That’s how we built our business … whether a French Dip or a hamburger,” she says. “It’s how we started and it worked.” It’s also how it became a "celebrity" hangout – attracting entertainers in town for shows at Interlochen, Old Town Playhouse or the casino.

“Betty White and Hal Linden (who appeared at the former Cherry County Playhouse in TC) sat right there,” Mode says, gesturing to two chairs at the big round table in the corner.

Also, Tim Conway, Faith Hill and Regis Philbin, who plugged the place on his New York-based national morning show, have hung at Mode’s.

And lest you think a younger generation means changes to come, just ask Skylar.

“We’re not changing Mode’s,” she says, even as the younger crowd often comments on it being “like the 70s in here.” She adds, “Maybe subtle changes with the times, but why change a good thing?”

Did you know …
 -- The Mode’s Wedge was born because the kitchen was too small to make actual salads?

 -- There were once two other Mode’s businesses in town – Mode’s Center Court Lounge and McMode’s? Both were sold in the 80s.

 -- Other past businesses at that site include Denny’s Battery Station (selling/servicing auto batteries), Burley’s Restaurant, Ben’s Bar and Black Lantern Tavern (just briefly before the name change to Mode’s Bum Steer).