Traditions Offers The Cove More than Family-style Food

Traditions has been a part of the Cove community since 2007, offering a place to dine and also experience the Pennsylvania Dutch traditions of the area.

Restaurant Owner Tyler Zimmerman, who has been there since the restaurant opened, said the retail store was opened in 2003 by Marcus Zimmerman.

He said the store was opened as an opportunity in the area to provide the essentials of food and clothing that people needed while also creating jobs.

“We have created a lot of jobs for a lot of people in those 16 years and now we employ a large group of 50-plus people,” Zimmerman said.

The restaurant serves more than 4,000 people a week which includes people from the Cove and those from surrounding areas who travel to eat.

“We are definitely grateful for the employees and the customers who are here,” he said.

The busiest periods for Traditions include holidays like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

“Thanksgiving is huge on pies — I think we sold over 150 pies this year,” Zimmerman said.

Mother’s Day stands out as their busiest week, with May in general witnessing increased traffic due to college students returning home.

Zimmerman describes Traditions as a “family-style restaurant” offering traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food.

“People would say their grandmother used to make it,” he said.

Some of the dishes that have become staples at the establishment include roast turkey over stuffing, ham balls, roast beef over stuffing, and the renowned ham pot pie, all made from scratch.

Zimmerman mentioned some other popular items on the menu are haddock and chicken parmesan.

“If we are going to serve it here, it has to be made in our kitchen, homemade with quality ingredients,” he said.

Despite the challenges of rising prices since the Covid pandemic, Zimmerman said a commitment to offering homemade, quality meals at the best possible prices is still the mission.

“We do this at the best price that we can bring to you, which can be difficult,” Zimmerman said. “When you go to the grocery store, $100 does not buy you what it did in 2019.”

He said the bakery’s best seller is the coconut cream pie, alongside the decorative cupcakes, German chocolate, carrot cake, and peanut butter cakes.

Zimmerman said it is important to have a restaurant like Traditions because it serves the community.

“Being in the community and making it a better place for people to eat or work,” he said.

Zimmerman said they even have opportunities for people out of high school.

“We have good fundamentals — we teach them what hard work is and have a good structure with team leaders,” he said.

Zimmerman said he enjoys seeing the regulars they get including those who often come for breakfast frequently.

“Every day, we have a group of men or women show up for breakfast. There are individuals who show up two or three times a week — some people come in here twice a day,” he said.

Plans for the future include starting a catering business in 2024, and expanding into some barista-style coffee.

“We can do weddings, baby showers, business groups and many more in locations up to 20 miles from here,” Zimmerman said.