HATFIELD – What makes a small business thrive in a small town? Ask the owners of Casey’s Saloon & Eatery. They will have the answers for you.

34 years ago, Terry and Michael Loeffler decided to open up a restaurant. The couple had past job experiences in running offices and tending bars which made them feel prepared for a challenge. Now, Casey’s Saloon & Eatery, named after their daughter, has been doing very well in Hatfield since June 1988.

The family-owned business is thriving not only because of Terry and Michael Loeffler, but Terry’s parents as well.

“I must tell you, our daughters are now thirty-eight and thirty-six years old, so they were very little when we bought the restaurant. We were very lucky that my parents had previously retired. They lived right around the corner and they loved the children and the children loved them. I couldn’t have done it without my parents,” Loeffler says.

While keeping family close, Loeffler explains how she has kept her employees feeling close and understood throughout the years.

“You have to be devoted to them. You have to accept the fact that employees are people with problems and priorities that don’t necessarily always align with yours. In the past 34 years, I can’t tell you how many people we have gone through. We have a really good crew now, but in 34 years, you could go through people. You think you have the right person but some people get married, some people move away, and some people get divorced. You just have to really stick it out,” Loeffler explains.

On the topic of employees, Loeffler mentions the employee shortage during the pandemic and how the pandemic affected them in general.

“If you work in an office, they can give you a computer and you can work remotely. When Covid hit, they closed the indoor seating. They closed the restaurant and we could only do takeout. We go from a restaurant full of people to nobody inside,” Loeffler says.

Their plan of action after the halt of indoor seating was to make sure takeout was always running smoothly.

“We just gathered our group,” Loeffler explains, “One girl manned the phones, and the other one ran the register. We were lucky we made it. After all these years we have such a good group of loyal customers, but I feel really sorry for new businesses who didn’t have a firm foothold in the community,” Loeffler explains.

The loyal customers that helped Casey’s survive the pandemic mean so much to the entire family. Loeffler explains that without the locals of Hatfield, they would not be able to survive.

“I’m gonna give you a joke here. It’s Hatfield; there’s no beach and no airport. Do you understand? If you don’t have local people, you don’t have anything. This isn’t the shore where the summer crowd is there and people are walking by. We are a local restaurant in a small town and that’s how we survive, with our locals,” Loeffler highlights.

With a community reputation to uphold, the Loefflers make their own food to stay consistent. Everything is fresh and handled in-house.

“I’m the head chef. I make all the soups and all the sauces. We hand-cut all our meats. Either my husband or I am here almost all of the time to keep the consistency. The point is, when you come in and have dinner here, you should have no idea which one of us cooked it. It should always be exactly the same. That’s attention to detail,” Loeffler emphasizes.

Aside from the food, Casey’s Saloon & Eatery wants to create a personable experience for every customer that comes through the door.

“My theory is, you want the customer to come in and you want them to feel like they had the best time they ever had. You want them to be happy. If a customer is not in a very good mood, it’s my personal mission to make them smile and to make them laugh,” Loeffler adds, “Anyone can wait on a table, but not everybody can make you feel good and be attentive to you. You have to treat the customers like they are Aunt Sarah or Uncle Tommy. It has to be homey.”

The most important part of any restaurant is the food. Loeffler highlights their fresh salmon, meats, and even the exclusive Early Bird menu.

“I’m pretty proud of our whole menu. There’s nothing I would say to not get.”

With great food and service, why wouldn’t you want to stop by? Casey’s Saloon & Eatery is located at 210 S Main St, Hatfield, PA 19440. You can dine in or call (210) 762-4678 for takeout.