"We are putting up a website and we want it to be interactive where people tell us what they want the restaurant to be," Susan Hougleman told TR reporter Allyson King. "We want people to tell us what kind of food do they want it to have. What kind of baked goods are they interested in."
Until the Houglemans took over, the eatery sat dormant and up for sale after the previous owners hoped to add a liquor license. The former owners brought forth an election initiative that failed to repeal the borough's long standing "dry" status. The current law prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages inside New Wilmington's town limits.
However, having a working bar doesn't seem to be an issue for the Houglemans. The couple also owns and operates the Neshannock Creek Inn in nearby Volant. They plan to sell that business to one of their employees there. They also plan to add something new to their Tavern enterprise in New Wilmington.
"We've put in a little bakery next to the restaurant and we hope to restore it to the way it was in the original days. We want it to have have good homemade cooking and homemade baked goods and other old fashion comfort type foods."
The Hougleman's aren't strangers to the restaurant business. They've owned and operated the Neshannock Creek Inn Restaurant in Volant, but are selling it to one of the employees there. Susan Hougleman's mother is also in the same business-- she runs the Short Stop restaurant also in New Wilmington.