COOPERSBURG, Pa. – Inside The New Santiago’s Restaurant on Route 309 in Coopersburg, orders are up again and reunions with familiar faces are back.
“It’s really good to see all the locals come in,” said Hannah Moretti, a waitress.
A fast-moving storm damaged the restaurant in March, forcing it to temporarily close.
Balloons and workers, like waitress Allison Kline welcome customers as the doors reopen four months after temporarily closing.
“It’s really nice. Everyone was so shocked. They’re happy everything is back,” said Kline.
Kline and Makala Konyk have worked here for around two years.
“There are a bunch of other regulars who’ve actually stopped me in the store when I would go grocery shopping asking when we were going to reopen,” said Konyk.
Moretti recently joined this tight-knit group.
“It’s just good to see the whole community come together and just enjoy culture in one with food and everything,” said Moretti.
It is a bond so strong a storm could not tear it apart.
“You come here and you can just laugh and smile and talk. Your customers will talk to you, and you get to know them. They are family,” said Moretti.
La Cocina de la Abuela next door was also damaged during the storm and remains closed. Workers we spoke with said the goal is to have it open in a month.