The Regal Room in Olyphant has brought back the Ideal Restaurant.
While many people may have attended catered events at the Regal Room, 214 Lackawanna Ave., through the years, the Pachucy family decided to get creative recently and revived the Ideal Restaurant. Co-owner George Pachucy III said they have had fun running the eatery, which has served as a way to supplement their income after the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of events. Patrons at the Ideal Restaurant can enjoy burgers, Texas Wieners, fries and shakes as well as a few healthy options and catering staples.
Chef’s Table chatted with Pachucy about the revived Midvalley restaurant that offers takeout, curbside pickup and outdoor dining.
Q: When did you open?
A: We opened for business in 1952.
Q: What is the history of the restaurant?
A: In 1952, George and Theresa Pachucy founded the Ideal Lunch, which became a mainstay in the Midvalley community. In 1960, they opened the Regal Room, which only catered events. They, along with their children, ran both the Ideal Restaurant and the Regal Room until 1996, when the decision was made to close the Ideal. For the next 24 years, our family has focused only on catering events. It wasn’t until COVID-19 that we decided to reopen the Ideal to try and make up for lost catering and events business. Even with everything going on, we’ve been having a blast serving some old-time favorites.
Q: What type of food do you serve?
A: The Ideal serves all of your favorite diner foods. We have burgers, fries, shakes and also some healthier options, including salads, grilled chicken options and veggie burgers.
Q: What’s your specialty?
A: We’re very well-known for our Texas Wieners and cheeseburgers. We are also working on finding the recipe for our once-famous Steak Subs; it is the only old recipe we haven’t been able to track down. We also are providing some catering favorites as meals, including our Penne with Vodka Sauce and our Sausage and Peppers.
Q: How did your menu come to be?
A: Well, we really wanted to keep things simple. None of us really ever worked full-time in the diner, so we aren’t used to doing short, made-to-order meals. We started only selling Texas Wieners on Tuesdays and slowly expanded to include everything we offer now.
Q: What are your most popular dishes and drinks?
A: Our Texas Wieners are by far our biggest seller, followed closely by our Grilled Chicken Sandwich on a pretzel roll. We also sell these amazing alcoholic milkshakes, like our Cookies and Creme Shake, which is a vanilla shake with Oreos and a shot of Baileys Irish Creme.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A: Right now we are only offering outdoor seating, but by the end of October, we also will have a small indoor seating area. We are not currently using our banquet rooms as restaurant seating.
Q: What kinds of entertainment and specials do you offer?
A: On Friday nights, we have what we call Parking Lot Parties from 5 to 8 p.m. There is usually a DJ or a live entertainer, and we have some drink and meal specials. You can either reserve a table under our tented seating area or you can pull your car in the lot and choose to enjoy dinner tailgate-style. We’re also going to have some cornhole boards and other games in the next few weeks, and we plan to continue these parties until we deem it’s too cold.
Q: Do you offer catering, event space, etc.?
A: Yes. The Regal Room is first and foremost a catering company. The Ideal was reborn out of necessity, but we’re having such a fun time that it’s going to stay open.
Q: Where do you see the restaurant headed in the future?
A: Well, hopefully next year will bring a return to some kind of normal, and we can get back to doing mostly events and catering. We had over 70 events postpone or cancel this year, so we decided to reopen the Ideal to supplement our business. We’re definitely going to continue to operate the Ideal and the Regal Room as long as possible.
Q: Do you currently offer takeout, delivery or curbside pickup?
A: We currently offer takeout and curbside pickup. We are working on delivery options, so look out for that in the near future.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.
