Resident revives a Gladwyne lunch spot

When Sam Stanford moved to Gladwyne four years ago with his wife, he became something of a regular at the longtime lunch spot on Youngsford Road.

Last month, he moved to the other side of the counter.

Stanford became owner Aug. 15 of the former Gladwyne Village Lunch, and he has been open for business about a month now. Residents are relieved the restaurant didn't close, and Stanford couldn't be happier - or busier.

"I'm the owner, operator, cook, dishwasher, waiter, waitress - if the job needs to be done, I'm doing it," said Stanford, who renamed the restaurant the Gladwyne Lunch Box.

Stanford's life changed when previous owners Bill and Laura Faust, who had owned the restaurant for 18 years, decided to retire. They closed the place in late July. Stanford heard about the opportunity from a friend and decided to leap in.

"I've been working in food for a little while, and I was just ready to try out something new," said Stanford, who used to work at the Bryn Mawr and Ardmore Milkboy Coffee locations.

As Stanford was working to reopen the restaurant, he got a few unexpected visitors.

"People were peeking in and knocking on the door," Stanford said. "I don't think they ever knew it closed."

Now, Stanford maneuvers around the Lunch Box's nook as if he were at home. At the counter, he takes orders from new customers and regulars. Then, he's at the stove cooking meals - before delivering the food to guests. He opens in the morning and locks up at night. He lives nearby with his wife, Michelle, and their newborn son, Emmett. "For years, this was sort of very similar to what it is now," Stanford said. The previous owner said the site has been a restaurant for 60 years.

Amy Haller, a Gladwyne resident for 18 years, said that the Lunch Box has grown livelier - red paint on the walls, handwritten menu on a colorful chalkboard - but that it still has the same feel.

"I don't think it has changed that much," she said over her usual tuna fish on rye toast, while dining with her mother. "It's just more fun and brighter."

Bryn Mawr residents Ed and Sophie Donaghy said the old place still had charm.

"Sometimes, we sneak in separately," Sophie Donaghy said as she waited at the blue counter for her order. "I get the grilled cheese with tomato and bacon, and he gets the Italian hoagie."