Mel’s Deli & Cafe offers ‘Pennsylvania cooking’
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Mel's Deli & Cafe has been a mainstay of the area for over two decades, and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Originally opened at 45 W. Fourth Street in downtown Williamsport, Mel's quickly outgrew that location, necessitating a move to Pine Street.
"We loved all of our people. Everybody working in the courthouse, the law offices, the judges and the banks and all the people that worked downtown, that was our clientele," owner and operator Melony "Mel" Hartranft said.
Unfortunately, they were unable to remain in that space after their lease was pulled out from under them.
However, Hartranft would take the opportunity to raise her children as well as continue to build the catering side of the business while staying in touch with many of her customers, faxing them a menu, and making deliveries every Friday.
"We did great, but I missed the everyday people coming in and out, so I said to my husband, I really want to have a storefront," she explained.
That itch would lead Hartranft to set up shop in their current location, 365 Broad St, Montoursville, 11 years ago, only a few blocks from where she grew up and just around the corner from where daughter, Aubri Pyles attended daycare.
Today, Pyles works alongside her mother at the cafe and acts as venue coordinator at their catering venture, Twin Meadows Farm.
"We gutted this place, and when we got it in, uncovered old tin ceilings that were originally in here, but had been covered by a drop ceiling," Hartranft said.
"We put new drywall and everything in here, so the tin ceilings and the hardwood flooring are the only things original here, and I love how it turned out," she said.
The new location also came with a built-in Williamsport clientele that eagerly embraced the new location, as Mel's quickly established a customer base in the heart of Montoursville.
"We have so many people that are basically like family," Hartranft said, among them local first responders.
Hartranft and co quickly engrained themselves into their new surroundings, donating to local high school teams and community events.
"We even have some high school students that are awesome employees and continue to come back and work whenever they have time during college," she said.
"We have been lucky enough to have some of the same loyal employees throughout the last 11 years in Montoursville," Hartranft added.
Mel's offerings have vastly expanded in the years since moving to Montoursville, including several new breakfast items, among them sausage gravy, cream dried beef, scrapple and corned beef hash and much more.
"We have our basic menu, but then we do a lot of specialty stuff, like our coconut dream pancake stack. "It's like dessert for breakfast, and we do avocado toast," Hartranft said.
Mel's also offers seasonal specialty drinks, as well, which are created in collaboration with the cafe's employees.
Many of the products and ingredients utilized by Mel's are locally sourced, including Poco Farm honey, non-in-house-made dressings, courtesy of Village Eatinghouse and fresh baked bread from Lycoming Bakery in South Williamsport.
The vast majority of recipes used at the cafe, described by Hartranft, as "Pennsylvania cooking," have been handed down by families over the years.
"We do fresh ground coffee here, and you can buy half pound by the pound. We probably have about 20 different flavors," she said, adding that they are also available as whole beans for those that prefer to grind their own coffee at home.
Asked how it feels to reach 25 years in the business, Hartranft called the milestone "surreal."
"When I had to close my restaurant down, it wasn't my choice, so I was very heartbroken because it was thriving," she said.
"So when we reopened here, I just hoped and prayed that everything would go great, and I just love all my customers," Hartranft said, adding that while it is certainly hard work, she has a great team backing her.
"I have my daughter by my side, and I always say, 'my ride or die,'" she said.
"I'm very happy she chose to stay working with me, because she did a two years associate degree in business, and when she graduated, she decided to stay on with the family business," Hartranft said, stressing that if there ever comes a time when Pyles decides to pursue a new career path, that will be just fine.
"Working a family business has its challenges but we bring a unique piece to the business and that's what makes the balance so fun," Hartranft said.
After all these years, Mel's Deli & Cafe remains a customer-centered business.
"All of our customers have become like family. We've watched some customers grow up and now bring in their children," Hartranft said.
"Restaurants come and go, but we've always believed that if you treat people like family, serve food you're proud of and never stop improving, they'll keep coming back," she said.
"Twenty-five years later, that's still exactly how we operate," Hartranft said.
For information on Mel's Deli & Cafe, please check out their Facebook page.