If you haven't been to Siegi's Sausage Factory lately, you hardly would recognize the place. If you never have been there, you have missed one of the best culinary shows in town.

It has been well documented how Siegi Sumaruk and his staff make more than 20 different types of sausages for distribution all over the country, including customers as far away as San Francisco. Some of Tulsa's better restaurants use Siegi's sausages in their dishes.

Less well known is how Siegi's recently has become a popular lunch destination and how the store has expanded its line of food items, both on the shelves and fresh under the shiny new display cases.

Included in the expansion was more space for the kitchen, sausage-making rooms and offices. There's even a private office for a USDA inspector, a government requirement for Siegi's mail- order business.

"We acquired the additional space and expanded our seating capacity for lunch from 15 to about 50," said Raymond Bayer, one of Rosie and Siegi Sumarak's three sons who help in the business.

"Instead of just a few sausages and deli sandwiches, we now have hot sandwiches and hot plates for lunch. The weiner schnitzel probably has been the most popular."

A full order of weiner schnitzel (breaded and fried pork cutlets) is $6.95 and comes with sauerkraut and German potato salad. A weiner schnitzel sandwich ($5.95) is served on rye bread or a bun with mustard.

Other choices include a single- ($4.95) or two-sausage ($5.95) plate, selected from a list of nine sausages. Sandwiches featuring sausages, German lunch meats and standard deli meats also are popular.

Dessert at Siegi's may include a piece of Bavarian cheesecake ($2.95) provided by Ludger's German Restaurant or a wonderful fresh-baked apple strudel ($2.95).

Breads offered are high-quality loaves from Farrell Family Breads in Tulsa.

When the lunch space was more restricted, Rosie did most of the cooking. Since expansion, Siegi's hired Tim Toole, a former chef at Flavors, to head the kitchen. Rosie still lends a hand when she isn't spending time with her grandchildren.

"The grandchildren (all under 10 years old) really enjoy helping out in the store, and the customers love it, too," said Rosie. "I think it's because you don't see as many family businesses as you used to see."

It was that sense of family that brought the Sumaruks to Tulsa in the first place. Siegi, a native of Austria, came to the United States in 1965 and worked as a sausage maker and butcher in Dallas for 15 years.

"We finally decided it was time to go out on our own," said Rosie. "We narrowed our choice of cities to San Francisco and Tulsa. We talked about it and prayed about it and decided on Tulsa. We knew we would have quicker success in San Francisco, but we thought Tulsa would be a better place to raise our four children. We've never regretted that decision."

In addition to Raymond, sons David and Michael also are deeply involved in the business.

"They all can do everything around here, but each also has a specialty area," said Rosie.

The Sumaruks opened their first shop at 81st Street and Harvard Avenue in 1980. Five years later they moved to their current location at 91st Street and Sheridan Road in Chimney Pointe.

Whether dining or not, many customers come to Siegi's to purchase fresh sausages, fresh beef and pork (including tenderloins, strips, ribeyes and roasts), European gourmet food items and a few take-home deli items.

"Right now we have an impressive selection of European cookies, candies and breads that are popular at Christmas," said Raymond. "Also around Christmas we always get a ton of orders for standing rib roasts and beef tenderloins."

On a recent visit the display cases included such items as fresh asparagus, green beans, lemons and cheeses, as well as prepared items such as twice- baked potatoes, potato salads, sauerkraut, tabouli and coleslaw.

"By next spring we plan to rework the menu and try to offer more pre-cooked items for carryout," said Rosie. "Although we encourage people to cook at home, we've noticed more and more people asking for prepared carry-out food."

Siegi's is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Lunch hours are not set in stone, but they generally run about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.