America's Original Country Cookin'

An outgrowth of Lottie Kemberling's farm fresh foods, she and her son Jess M. Kembering opened their first Dutch Pantry Restaurant in 1945 along U.S 11 near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Kemberling said that the name of her restaurant was derived from the Pennsylvania Dutch region with its German descendants and their unique culture. More directly, the name Dutch Pantry referred to the notion that every Pennsylvania Dutch home contained a large pantry stocked with good food!

The chain gradually expanded during the 1950s and 1960s with additional units in Pennsylvania and then in Florida. The enterprising family soon caught the franchising bug which allowed steady growth by the end of the 1960s. A standard restaurant design was settled upon with an image that reflected the food and atmosphere of the Pennsylvania Dutch country. The buildings, said to simulate colorful Pennsylvania Dutch barns, were facadism at its best. Exteriors were decorated with hex signs, roofed with eye-catching red and white porcelain enamel tiles, and topped with exaggerated cupolas. The restaurants were fanciful caricatures of Pennsylvania Dutch barns!

The standard restaurant interior featured a luncheon counter, and two dining rooms flanking a country store merchandising area that sold candy and gift items. The interior was rustic with rough hewn beamed ceilings, handcrafted furniture, and a large cast iron stove--all said to create an old fashioned kitchen atmosphere (reminiscent of modern day Cracker Barrel Restaurants). The experience was geared to family dining and featured a wide menu selection, and offered an award winning unique children's menu.

As the chain evolved, food items became standardized and portioned controlled. To ensure quality most food was prepared at a central commissary--first called Lottie's Kitchen and then renamed Kemberling's Foods. In addition to the central kitchen a training facility called Dutch Pantry University was created to provide management training in all phases of Dutch Pantry operations. A corporate ownership change in the early 1970s resulted with Dutch Pantry in the hands of C.P.C. International which made Knorr soups and Mazola oil. C.P.C. had grand plans for the chain and projected 300 Dutch Pantrys for the U.S. and Canada by 1972. Although the chain did grow and attracted large franchise holders like Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO) and later allowed for existing buildings to be converted into Dutch Pantry Restaurants by other franchisees, the goal of 300 units was never attained.