Banquets & Group Tours
When William and Lina Leichsenring opened the Ox Yoke Inn® in 1940, they were committed to keeping their Amana heritage alive. William was born in what is now the Ox Yoke's Amana Dining Room, and Lina spent many long hours as a young girl working in an Amana Colonies communal kitchen learning the traditional recipes. The restaurant's first family-style dinners of fresh meat and vegetables, raised and grown in the Colonies, were served for 65 cents.
Today, the Ox Yoke Inn® tradition is carried on by William and Lina's son, Bill Leichsenring, General Manager and over seventy staff members. Five generations of the Leichsenring family have worked at the Ox Yoke Inn®.
The building that is now the Ox Yoke Inn® was built in 1856 and was once a traditional Amana Colonies communal kitchen. Amana Colonies farmers would come in from the fields to feast on hearty meals prepared by their wives and daughters. The recipes for many of the dishes enjoyed in the communal kitchen are still used at the Ox Yoke Inn®. Our delicious German dishes - Wiener Schnitzel, Sauerbraten, and Jager Schnitzel - have Old World origins and continue to be popular with our guests.
The Amana Colonies were founded in 1854 by Inspirationists, a people dedicated to family life, religious freedom, tradition and hard work. They were skilled craftsman and women who labored to make fine furniture, woolens, wines, beers, meats, cheeses and baked goods that remain at the heart of the Amanas. While you're visiting the Amana Colonies, don't miss an opportunity to stop in our fine shops and museums and take a little of the Amana Colonies tradition home with you. To find out more, visit the Amana Colonies website.
