LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — Stuff’d Steaks in South Londonderry Township, Lebanon County is back in business after a tough one-month journey of rebuilding.
The beloved restaurant was vandalized and robbed on April 5. Collin Potter has since been arrested and charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, and other charges.
It was a devastating scene for the family-owned business.
"The emotions, in the beginning, were just unbelievable," said owner Brian Boltz. "We were in disbelief.”
The owners say they are using the incident as a learning experience and that the robbery has motivated them to come back stronger than ever.
“It’s a bump in the road, there’s a lot worse things that can happen in life," said Boltz. "You build from it. You learn from it. We’re workers, we enjoy doing what we do. It makes you stronger and work harder.”
They add without the outpour of support from the community around them, the reopening of their doors would have never been possible.
“It also showed us how much the community supports us and cares about us," said Boltz. "It was unbelievable, it was overwhelming. They’ve been so supportive through this whole ordeal."
The dozens of community members who showed up to the May 11 grand reopening were excited to see the business back on its feet.
"I promise you that this is some of the best, if not the very best, that I’ve ever had and trust me I’ve had a lot of cheesesteaks in my day," said regular customer and lead pastor of the Hershey Church of the Nazarene John Sharpless. "[It was] just exciting to walk through the doors and know the business is back open."
Officials say the restaurant's return is an excellent symbol for other local small businesses across the area.
“This is a great example of the backbone of the American economy," said Lebanon County Commissioner Mike Kuhn. "Small business owner[s] working hard, the community rallying around them and seeing them successful."
Stuff'd Steaks originally started as a food truck in October 2020 and opened its storefront for the first time in January 2022.