The tourists stream from the tour bus into the dining area, smiling, looking around and taking pictures. As soon as they find their seats, a delicious gourmet meal is quickly brought out and placed in front of them. This is not a celebrity-owned restaurant in New York City or a historic bed & breakfast. This is the Hermann Wurst Haus, located in Hermann, Mo. The company was started by Mike and Lynette Sloan in 2011, and in that short amount of time, it has become a major tourist destination in Hermann, an area known for its Germanic heritage and its wine country.
Naturally, the tourists (and anyone else who stops in for lunch) are served some of the company’s award-winning sausages. With more than 40 years of experience in the meat industry, Sloan has won hundreds of state and national contests for his products. In this instance, they get a traditional bratwurst in a pretzel bun, with a side of sauerkraut and some German potato salad — all homemade.