Aug. 8—The new owner of a well-established restaurant in the Abingtons plans to continue the eatery's traditions while introducing new features.
Longtime owners Alfred and Michele Henningsen recently sold the Gourmet Family Restaurant at 645 Northern Blvd. in the Chinchilla section of South Abington Twp. to Sam Patel for $750,000, Patel said.
The sale, finalized Friday, was facilitated by Charles Ulmer and Richard Feibus of Coldwell Banker Commercial in South Abington Twp.
The Henningsens, who owned the restaurant since 1970, decided to retire after more than a half century in business, Michele Henningsen said.
"It's about time," she said with a laugh.
But, first, they wanted to find someone interested in having the Gourmet remain part of the community.
"Our customers and employees are more like family to us," Michele Henningsen said. "That was very important when we were looking for a buyer. Several businesses wanted to come in and change it or tear it down, but Sam was very insistent on keeping it as the Gourmet, keeping our employees, keeping the food the same and wanting to keep the same kind of clientele."
A recent conversation during which Patel asked if a large portrait of Alfred Henningsen's mom, Pauline, could remain in the restaurant put Michele Henningsen's mind at ease.
"He said if she blessed you for 53 years, maybe she'll continue to bless me," she said. "That was kind of the sign that we knew we had the right person."
While Patel is keeping the current staff and menu in place, he plans to introduce a point of sale for credit card transactions and cold brew coffee.
"We want to serve the community and give them the best quality product," Patel said. "If they say they need something, we want to introduce it."
Michele Henningsen became emotional while reminiscing about relationships formed with clientele over the years.
"We had a lot of tears on the last day," she said. "We watched customers bring in their grandchildren and now their grandchildren are bringing in their own children. We have regulars who think of us as their second home and told us they wouldn't have made it through some hard times in their lives if we weren't there for them."
As the couple steps aside, Michele Henningsen feels fulfilled.
"It was a big part of our lives," she said. "I started waitressing there when I was 14 years old. It's really been the cornerstone of the Abingtons and we're very proud of everything we've done. It's a good legacy to leave behind."