A new Lehigh Valley restaurant is hoping to continue the legacy of a closed favorite and build its own unique identify.
The Broken Record began a soft opening period in late December at 6776 Hamilton Blvd., Unit 1, in Lower Macungie Township, according to Jeff Trainer, who co-owns it alongside Andrea Kenney.
Patrons can look forward to dishes such as pizza, burgers, salads, fish, spinach artichoke dip, tempura cauliflower, drinks like the “Cosmo-rita” martini and some lunch items like sandwiches from the now-closed Griddle 145.
Taylor Eisenhard, who opened Griddle 145 in Whitehall Township 2012 alongside Sherry Eisenhard, now is head chef for The Broken Record, Trainer and Kenney said.
The two have rented spaces for other tenants at their Hamilton Boulevard location, Trainer said, and saw opportunity.
“It’s just getting more valuable, that land, and since we controlled it, we thought it would be foolish to give it up,” he said. “Andrea and I have both owned restaurants — some together, some separately — and you know what, we just thought this would be a good one with the matchup with Taylor coming in with us and helping.”
Collaborating with Emmaus-based Swine Design for the restaurant design, Kenney recalled wanting to make the restaurant stand out from others. A clear example is the wallpaper that one could describe as a zebra from New York. The vinyl record theme nods to Trainer’s work as owner of Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.
“I think our initial go-around when we first designed it, it was just feeling like every other restaurant out there,” Kenney said. “And then I was sitting there looking at it, and I literally just said to them, I go, ‘I just feel like this has to be more of Jeff Trainer’s personality.’ Him having the background of the event center, and he really does have a love of music, and I was like, I just want it to be like, this is what’s going on in Jeff Trainer’s brain, essentially, in his head. Like, this is what’s happening. And they were like yes, and it was nice to do something outside the box and think differently and go with really bold designs that you typically wouldn’t find around here.”
Trainer credited Kenney for coming up with the restaurant’s name, and added that the restaurant features a stereo sound system as well.
“When I say stereo, most restaurants are in mono,” he said. “They don’t go and spend a lot to put a full stereo system in, where it’s stereo speakers. So if you’re playing Pink Floyd and ‘”[The] Dark Side of the Moon,’ and it’s going [vocalizes music] all around, it goes around our whole restaurant. And it’s really a fantastic sound system that … most restaurants would not spend the money to do that.”
The restaurant is open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Kenney said they plan to add more Griddle 145 dishes in the future.
Bar manager Rachel Heimbach serves customers Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at The Broken Record’s soft opening in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Spinach artichoke dip is one of the small plates served at The Broken Record’s soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Rock Star Shrimp is one of the small plates served at The Broken Record, seen here at its soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Studio Tostada is one of the small plates served at The Broken Record, seen here at its soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Left to right, the Expresso, Cosmo-rita and Empress Martinis are signature drinks served at The Broken Record’s soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Jeff Trainer, co-owner of The Broken Record, greets diners at a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township, when it held a soft opening. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Riley Baughman, left, mixes a drink as fellow bartender Alyssa Johnson watches Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at The Broken Record’s soft opening in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Bartender Alyssa Johnson mixes an Empress Martini on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at The Broken Record’s soft opening in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record features a wood stone oven for preparing pizzas and appetizers, seen here at its soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Cherri Scholz of Emmaus enjoys dinner and a martini at The Broken Record’s soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
The Broken Record hosts a soft opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Show Caption
1 of 18
Bar manager Rachel Heimbach serves customers Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at The Broken Record’s soft opening in Lower Macungie Township. Employees from Griddle 145, which closed in Whitehall Township, will move to work at the new restaurant, which will serve Griddle 145 dishes. (Sharon Merkel/Special to The Morning Call)
Expand
Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
Retro Burger has permanently closed after two years at 1223 W. Broad St. in Bethlehem.
Fiamma Italian Grill announced its temporary closure Tuesday at 2118 Schoenersville Road in Hanover Township, Northampton County, due to damage from a broken water pipe.
Mariachi Mexican Grill & John’s Pizza will hold a grand opening Jan. 19 at 8016 Route 873 in Washington Township, Lehigh County. It will serve food like pizza, stromboli, sandwiches, tacos, chimichangas, quesadillas, burritos and nachos.
The Easton Public Market announced that vendor More Than Q Barbecue Co. has closed in Easton.
Katie’s Country Kitchen will reopen at 6 a.m. on Jan. 23 at 4804 Route 309 in North Whitehall Township, roughly a year and a half after it closed. It will serve food such as omelets, seafood, platters, pasta and sandwiches.
Grandma Chicken Pica Pollo will open a new location in February at 306 Brodhead Ave. in Bethlehem, owner Jorge Gomez said, where it will serve fried chicken, wings, tenders, fries and fried green plantains. Hours are 10 a.m. to midnight all week.
Main Street Real Estate Group will relocate its office in February from 525 Main St. in Bethlehem to 446 Main St., according to owner Lucy Lennon, who has signed a lease for the property and needed the larger space.
She said that alongside being a real estate office, she wants to offer a kind of commercial visitor’s center where people can check out art and a pop-up area for vendors in Bethlehem, Allentown and Easton.
It will replace the Twisted & Dipped ice cream store that opened in 2024. The Twisted & Dipped owners couldn’t be reached after multiple requests for comment. The account on Instagram told The Morning Call they were closed on Tuesday, but didn’t clarify whether it was permanent.
Radical Rations Restaurant announced its closure at 1213 Washington St. in Easton, citing unsustainable rent.
It will remain closed until develops a new ordering plan for platter delivery, it added.
The restaurant opened in early 2025 to serve food such as fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collared greens and rice and beans.
GameStop closed one of its stores Thursday at the Trainer’s Corner shopping center at 210 N. West End Blvd. in Richland Township.
In other news
Lafayette College is celebrating its 200th birthday with limited-edition merchandise from Abercrombie & Fitch, Crayola and Burpee at the Lafayette College Store at 211 McCartney St. in Easton.
The Easton Winter Market began Saturday outside the Easton Public Market at 325 Northampton St. in Easton, a news release from the Greater Easton Development Partnership said.
It will host vendors like Zekraft – Curators of Taste, Apple Ridge Farm, Bizzle’s Bites, Easton Salsa Co., Elm Hill Vineyard & Winery, Mia & Maddie’s Bakery, Oley Ravioli and Raspberry Ridge Creamery.
It operates 10 a.m. to noon every Saturday up until April 25.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.