Not a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask Gene LaCroix III when he’s going to open an Onion Crock restaurant. It’s quite a compliment, considering the legendary eatery established in 1974 by his grandfather, Eugene La-Croix, has been gone since 1989.

But fond memories of gourmet homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and the free pickles still linger, said Gene LaCroix, who continues to produce Onion Crock wholesale products for institutional, private label, retail and fundraising purposes.

Proprietary sauces, salad dressings and dips have been added to the mix and, today, 35 different soups and a dozen other products keep LaCroix, the company’s president; his partner and father-in-law, Dave Rodger, plus three employees working hard.

“It’s very nice when people ask, but I personally would not open another restaurant,” LaCroix said. “But if someone else does, I’d be able to supply it.”

The Onion Crock plant is going strong at 1221 McReynolds St. NW. At any given time, the savory scent of kettles filled with soups such as cheese broccoli, Hunters hodgepodge, seashell chicken, old-fashioned potato or French onion fill the air in the small USDA-approved facility.

At one time, there were as many as 12 Onion Crock locations in Michigan and Milwaukee, but the small family company was overextended and undercapitalized. Bankruptcy ended the popular restaurant chain, but loyal patrons continued to clamor for the soups created by Eugene LaCroix.

In 1992, he began making his famous soups again and the frozen 16-ounce boilable pouches can be found in about a dozen area retail spots.

Restaurants such as the Brann’s chain, Pietro’s and Schuler’s in Marshall contract with the Onion Crock to create soups and sauces, with institutional and private label sales accounting for about 70 percent of the business.

Brann’s is working on a macaroni and cheese recipe, as well as a queso dip that is being tested and will be manufactured by Onion Crock, said Tom Doyle, one of Brann’s owners.

“We have eight different products,” Doyle said. “This allows us to use our in-house recipes with the consistency and quality the Onion Crock provides.”

Eugene LaCroix died in 2006, but his wife, Betty, continues to work at trade shows, Gene LaCroix said. His father, Eugene LaCroix II, has never worked in the Onion Crock business, instead establishing a successful career in the insurance industry before the advent of the restaurants. He is a financial planner in Grandville.

Still, the family affair continues. The Onion Crock has four kettles to test and cook its soups and sauces, with Gene LaCroix tasting every batch before it goes out the door.

But first, summer months can be spent testing a product using friends and family for instant feedback during vacations up north.

Part of the macaroni and cheese dish being prepared for Brann’s got the ultimate consumer scrutiny, when LaCroix had his children round up their friends in the neighborhood for a free lunch.

“Adults tend to tell you what you want to hear, but kids don’t lie,” he said. “They really liked it.”
In 2010, the company had its best year yet in Internet sales, with soups shipped all over the country. It also had sales approaching $700,000 — “the best year we’ve ever had,” La-Croix added.

The plant makes about 1,500 gallons of soup each week, with cheese broccoli the most popular order.

Nel Osterwald got into the fundraising business 14 years ago with Onion Crock soups and said
her Market Partners Fund Raising business (hamlady.com) has had “14 great seasons and is growing every year.”

She works with youth, church and athletic groups, and the soup is one of the most successful sellers on her list of fundraising food choices.

“One reason is word of mouth (because) the soup is unique,” she said. “I also really enjoy working with and supporting a local small business owner, and the soup is a quality product which people appreciate.”

LaCroix said he plans to get a little more high-tech in the production but will keep the operation small and efficient to retain the home-made appeal of the soups.

“I wish my grandfather could see what we are today,” LaCroix said. “He was well ahead of his time with the soup, salad and sandwich restaurant.