Lucy's Cafe was an Italian restaurant located in Hershey, Pennsylvania that was family-owned and operated for more than 75 years. The restaurant's meatballs were from a homemade recipe and were popular throughout the state; they were at one time sold at Hershey Bears hockey games.[1]
History
The former sign of Lucy's Cafe
Lucy's Cafe was founded by sisters Josephine Fromboluti and Lucia Santoro after their immigration from Italy.[2] Mary Tatangelo, daughter of Fromboluti, ran the restaurant for the bulk of its history.[3] She shared ownership with sons Tony and Robert Tatangelo in the 1970s and '80s. While Mary continued to remain active in the family business she built, Tony was the sole proprietor of Lucy's Cafe from 1989 until its closing in 2007.[2]
Purchase by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company
In October 2007, local newspapers confirmed rumored reports that Lucy's Cafe had been sold. The purchase was made by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company (also known as HERCO).[2] Coincidentally, Lucy's Cafe had formerly sold meatballs to the GIANT Center, home arena of the Hershey Bears (an AHL team owned by HERCO), for sale at the team's games. The restaurant's final day of business was December 31, 2007.
On January 21, 2008, a fire damaged much of the building that was once Lucy's Cafe.[2] The cause of the fire was suspected to be an oil tank that may have caught fire.[4]
Lucy's Cafe Meat Sauce and Meatballs
Lucy's Cafe was known regionally[5] for its meat sauce and hand-rolled meatballs, which were sold both in the restaurant with meals and "to go" in container sizes ranging from quart to gallon.
The recipe for the sauce and meatballs remains a family secret. During the restaurant's final month of business, sales of the famed meat sauce and meatballs boomed. Currently, the recipe has not been published. On April 9, 2008, the sale of Lucy's Cafe meat sauce and meatballs resumed.[6] They can be purchased from Bricker's Pizza and Restaurant, Hershey, Pennsylvania.[6]
