The Legacy of Walp’s Restaurant Resident Frank Nikischer Sr. knows a thing or two about the food industry. Or a few thousand things. Recipes, that is, and how to own and operate a successful, large scale restaurant. Born in Allentown, PA, Frank began working as a bus boy at age 16 at a local, beloved Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant, Walp’s. He got the job through his sister, Terry, who was married to Donald Walp, the son of the original owners of Walp’s, Robert and Blanche. Frank kept his dedication to Walp’s as he attended Penn State University. He worked at the restaurant whenever he was home from college and even got a degree in hotel and restaurant management in 1953. After he graduated college, he served as a commissioned officer in the Navy for three years. When he was discharged, he worked again at Walp’s full-time. He also continued his service in the U.S. Naval Reserves, retiring in 1976 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Frank worked at the restaurant as it flourished and ownership was turned over to Donald and his sister, Thelma. In the meantime, Frank met his wife, Judy, a Cedar Crest College graduate who would eventually become part owner of the business.
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Summer 2021 Issue
In 1986, Donald and Thelma sold Walp’s to Frank and Judy, and they ran it until 1999. Frank said the restaurant had grown so much from when it originally opened in 1936, and he and Judy were grateful for contributing to that growth. Three of Frank’s children, Frank Jr., David and Wendy, also contributed to the restaurant’s growth, serving as Walp’s managers. “It started out with just two booths, a coffee counter, a juke box and a gas pump. Before it closed 62 years later, it had a total of 500 seats and 80 employees,” Frank said. Walp’s included a 12-room guest house, banquet rooms with seating for 250 people and a bake shop. The restaurant had to expand, Frank said, to accommodate its “very loyal following” of hungry and “devoted” customers. “Philly, New Jersey, New York … people were coming from all over,” Frank said. “We had lots of local regulars, too. They would come in for breakfast, lunch and dinner and sit
at the coffee counters. If a stranger came in to sit, the regulars would say, ‘Don’t sit there, that’s Bill’s stool, and he’ll be here soon!’ because that’s how familiar they were with each other.” Frank said one time he even had a family drive hours through snow to eat at Walp’s, and though Walp’s had closed earlier that day due to the weather, Frank invited them in and personally served them dinner when they arrived. He, Judy and their employees always strived to make every customer satisfied because they loved Walp’s just as much as their customers did. “Our employees were so dedicated, and we were like one big family,” Frank said. “What amazes me is that I can count the small number of employees who didn’t show up for work on holidays in all the time I’d been there.” There were also many celebrities who stopped in for a meal at Walp’s: The Monkees, The Dorsey Brothers, “The Munsters” actor Al Lewis, singer Robert Goulet and others.
