Spring House Grille in RS Closes its Doors

Spring House Grille in Roaring Spring closed its doors on Sunday, August 4. 

The restaurant was sold to Pediatric Health Care Associates, which is currently practicing in Nason Medical’s pediatric office and will move to the new location following renovations.

All patients from Nason Pediatrics will be transferred to the new office and the practice will accept new patients.

Following are the approximate time frames of ownership.  

Larry and Jerry Ritchey had Dog n’ Suds from 1969 to 1974.  

Ronald and Nancy Brumbaugh had Brumbaugh’s Drive-In from 1974-1985.

From 1985-2007, Dick and Dolly Satterfield were the owners of then called The Spring House Family Restaurant. 

Amy Ritchey and Nancy Brumbaugh have been 50/50 ownersvunder the name Spring House Grille since 2007.

“We never closed during Covid. We provided take-out meals during this time,” Ritchey said. “We had recently started doing online ordering and payment so that process was very helpful during this time.”

Following the pandemic, staffing was a major problem because many people did not return to the food service business. Because of this, they changed their hours of operation to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

They also started closing on Mondays as many restaurants do in the area.

“This worked out well and we needed less staff but maintained close to the same amount of business,” Ritchey said. “Very loyal customers adjusted to our new hours.”

Both owners decided it was the right time to retire. They had an offer to buy the building and land. 

They were disappointed that the building would not remain a restaurant but felt it would be a great place for a pediatrician’s office.

The fish tank will be kept for the children to enjoy. The fish tank was Brumbaugh’s idea, and it was enjoyed by children and adults at the Spring House Grille.

One factor to sell was the economy but there were other factors too.

Seventeen years had been dedicated by these owners and they felt it was the right time in both of their lives to retire from this business. Energy costs, labor shortages, food prices, etc. made this a tough business.

There are mixed emotions about selling but Brumbaugh is ready to retire. She has been in the restaurant business for 50 years. She had also been the owner of the Creekside Inn.

Their customers are more like family, with many stopping by daily and weekly for seventeen years.

Customers were the best part of the job.

Over the past few weeks, many people have shared stories of how the Spring House Grille was an important part of their lives, Ritchey said.

“We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of emotion -- “Many people said they always felt comfortable coming into the restaurant even if they were alone because the staff always made them feel welcome and would take the extra time to talk with them,” she said. “We have been truly blessed with amazing staff. It will be hard because we all spend so much time together but will be going on to new jobs.”

Ritchey’s children Taylor, Luke, and Julia have all worked at the business in addition to her husband Cary Ritchey who did most of the renovations. He was always on call to fix things throughout the last 17 years. This is truly the definition of a family-owned and run business.

Both owners state they have no plan to open another business. Brumbaugh plans to retire to enjoy family and travel with friends. Ritchey plans to take a few months off and then look for a position in the counseling field again. Before buying the Spring House Grille she worked as a Counselor-Mental Health primarily with Children and Families in the foster care system. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Slippery Rock University and a master’s degree in Secondary Counseling from Penn State University. She would also like to take some time to enjoy some family time before starting back to the counseling profession again.

Brumbaugh and Ritchey would like to thank all their customers for supporting them for the last 17 years. They feel their dedication to making great homemade items is the reason they have been in business so long. Some of these dishes include ham pot pie, prime rib, made-to-order breakfast served all day, burgers, fried chicken, wings, chicken salads, prime rib salads, meatloaf, and of course roasted turkey. They both feel they were truly blessed with amazing staff that are like family. They wish their staff and customers all the best.