Reichhold’s Cafe reopens after moving to Saxonburg
SAXONBURG — For the first time in four-and-a-half years, business was booming at the old Zacherl’s Tavern and Restaurant building on Butler Avenue in Saxonburg. The new tenant, Reichhold’s Cafe, opened its doors at the property Wednesday morning, Nov. 4.
For Reichhold’s, the grand opening was also a grand reopening, as the cafe returned to business just six months after closing the doors to its previous location on Pittsburgh Road in Penn Township.
Co-owner Lisa Reichhold called the experience “amazing and very humbling,” as she reunited with some longtime customers and friends from her previous location.
“(This morning) I just ran out to the entrance just to pick up something I knew I’d left there,” Reichhold said. “I did not realize (customers) were already lined up in the parking lot. When I hit the entrance way, they all yelled out ‘Woohoo!’ very loudly. (There were) a lot of hugs, a lot of catching up stories and even a lot of new people in that line. So it was a really, really nice reception.”
According to Reichhold, the cafe left its previous home in Penn Township earlier this year due to a disagreement with its landlord regarding the cafe’s lease.
“Because of the rent situation, we decided that we were going to try and purchase the building,” Reichhold said. “We couldn’t come to a negotiation on that, so our lease ran out.”
The last day of business at the Penn Township location was April 30. The closing followed a 17-year stay. But even before the closing date, she, along with her husband and co-owner, Paul, had reached a decision on where they would set up shop next.
“We found out about this place about five days before our last day,” Lisa Reichhold said. “It’s close to home. We’re only about six miles from here. It was close enough that our clientele would still follow us here and it’s a fantastic little town.”
The original Zacherl’s Tavern closed in May 2022 after a 57-year run when owners Ed and Eileen Zacherl retired from the restaurant business.
The Reichholds officially closed on the property June 17 and announced the acquisition and eventual reopening of the cafe on social media July 3.
The relocation process took time, as the Reichhold family balance their restaurant business with the farm they operate on Dinnerbell Road in Penn Township.
“We started ripping and tearing probably around July 15 and up till today,” Paul Reichhold said. “The building didn’t need much. It just needed a nice face-lift and I think we did well.”
For now, Reichhold’s is open for breakfast and lunch. The Reichholds are hoping to expand its hours to offer dinner in the near future.
