The "They Used To Be The Best Crab Cakes In Lancaster," Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I had just finished our crab cakes that we had purchased at Stauffer's of Kissel Hill which is a grocery store on our way toward Lititz, PA.  They are probably the best we have found in Lancaster County for years.  We have decided that we enjoy them more than the crab cakes that we purchase at Woody's Crab House in Northeast, Maryland.  Woody's crab cakes at one time had replaced the crab cakes that we used to buy at Hall's Cafe which was at the corner of East Ross and North Plum streets in the city of Lancaster.  For years and years we would visit the cafe on a Friday evening to eat our supper.  They had the best crab cakes in Lancaster!  Albert and his wife Marie had owned and operated the neighborhood bar since 1946 when it was given to him by his father.  Over the years very little changed.  Their crab cakes remained the same as they were when his father had made them.  The bar was a family place and a great business.  

Albert and Marie Hall

Then in 1981, Albert and Marie decided to sell the cafe and retire.  Found out that the teacher at the end of the hall of the high school where I taught, Mary Koons and her husband, had purchased it and Mary was going to retire from teaching Spanish and begin to make crab cakes.  I had a long talk with her letting her know how good the crab cakes were and hoping she wasn't going to change how they were made.  "No problem!" she told me.  Mary and Edwin ate at the cafe for years and were charmed by it's neighborly atmosphere and good food, and made dinner at the restaurant a weekly event as did Carol and I.  

Edwin and Mary Koons

Mary said she loved the food and never had a bad experience.  So, when she and Edwin heard that the Hall's were going to sell the place, they decided it was time to act and make a change in careers.  For years Carol and I continued to eat there, but we eventually drifted away from the cafe.  That was close to 40 years ago and Carol and I haven't eaten at Hall's for quite some time.  We recently talked about the crab cakes at Hall's and decided to see what was happening at "Hall's Cafe."  So, I sat in my trusty swivel chair and Googled it on my Mac.  Stories from way back when the Hall's owned the cafe popped up and there was a familiar name among the stories.  

The bar of Hall's Cafe

Guy by the name of David Hall was mentioned and before long I realized I had gone to high school with Dave.  After we had graduated together, Dave eventually ended up flying commercial planes for Eastern Airlines.  Lost track of Dave quite a few years ago, until seeing him again at our 50th class reunion.  Fun to talk about the "good 'ole times and the crab cakes were part of the conversation.  As I sat at my computer, I printed out a few stories and photographs that I used to write this story as well as show you what the interior of the place used to look like years ago.  The last story I found was dated Wednesday, May 16, 2012 and told the story about a fellow named Donroe Giffing who had purchased Hall's Cafe from Mary and her husband.  He had renamed it Rumpelbrewskins and made over $75,000 in renovations, adding a new decor and revamping the menu.  He stated in the newspaper that he will still serve the crab cakes, but only on the first Friday of every month.  Haven't checked, but hope that wasn't a mistake, since some people like their crab cakes more than once a month!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.