{"id":165473,"date":"2026-04-14T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/165473\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:00:16","slug":"travers-food-market-marks-40-years-of-family-food-and-friendly-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/165473\/","title":{"rendered":"Travers Food Market marks 40 Years of family, food and friendly service"},"content":{"rendered":"

LANSDOWNE \u2014 For four decades, Travers Food Market has been more than just a place to pick up groceries. For many in the Lansdowne area, it\u2019s a place where customers are greeted by name, homemade meals are prepared daily, and generations of families return again and again.<\/p>\n

Owned by David and Donna Travers of Ridley Township, the market will soon celebrate its 40th anniversary, marking a milestone that reflects both family dedication and deep ties to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a family food market,\u201d David Travers said. \u201cWe\u2019re the kind of place where you can send your child in with $5 for a loaf of bread, and you know he\u2019ll come home with the bread and the right change.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Erie to Lansdowne<\/p>\n

David Travers\u2019 journey to Lansdowne began in the fall of 1971, when he moved from Erie. His brother and sister were living in a duplex in the borough, and the area quickly became home.<\/p>\n

At the time, the small neighborhood market that would later bear the Travers name had already changed hands several times. It was first known as Montbard Market, and later as the Country Butcher.<\/p>\n

Early on, Travers found work with\u00a0Wawa, where he served as a market operator for Wawa Store 1 and Wawa Store 41 in Ridley Township.<\/p>\n

But when Country Butcher went up for sale, an opportunity arose that would change his life.<\/p>\n

His late brother Fred asked if he\u2019d be interested in going into business together.<\/p>\n

The two purchased the market and renamed it Travers Food Market, beginning what would become a decades-long family enterprise.<\/p>\n

When Fred retired in 2003, Donna Travers stepped in as David\u2019s partner. At the time, she had been a stay-at-home mother raising their three children.<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid and Donna Travers, owners of Travers Food Market in Lansdowne, at their deli counter. (PEG DEGRASSA\/ DAILY TIMES)
\nA family effort<\/p>\n

Today, Travers Food Market at 199 Shadeland Ave., just steps away from Drexel Hill, remains very much a family operation.<\/p>\n

Their daughter Christina serves as head chef, preparing most of the store\u2019s homemade foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe does all the cooking,\u201d Donna said.<\/p>\n

Another daughter, Brianna, manages the store\u2019s advertising and marketing and multitasks in other ways.<\/p>\n

The couple has remodeled and expanded the market several times over the years, enlarging the deli and updating the layout by converting doors to windows and windows to doors.<\/p>\n

\"It'sIt’s all in the family at Travers Food Market in Lansdowne. Donna and David Travers with daughters Brianna, left, and Christina in the black shirts. Christina is the head chef at Travers and Brianna helps with the store’s marketing and advertising, and other tasks. (PEG DEGRASSA\/ DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n

They also expanded the menu dramatically. The market offers a variety of sandwiches along with weekly specialty sandwiches created by Christina.<\/p>\n

Their made-to-order sandwiches and platters include Hot Roast Beef, Hot Roast Pork, Meatball, Chicken Parmesan, Cheesesteaks, Reuben, Chicken Salad, Cheeseburgers, Grilled Ham and Cheese, Italian Sausage and many more. Plus, the market offers grab-and-go meals and full catering trays.<\/p>\n

\"AmongAmong the hot sandwiches on Travers Food Market’s menu is The Chicken Italiano, made with homemade Chicken Cutlet, Broccoli Rabe, Roasted Red Peppers and Sharp Provolone. (PEG DEGRASSA\/ DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that we make is from my mom\u2019s recipes,\u201d Donna said. \u201cIf you come to my house, you will eat the same food that you\u2019re eating here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The store is especially known for its chicken cutlets, chicken tenders, spaghetti sauce, hoagie trays, potato salad, egg salad and chicken salad, all prepared from scratch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very picky about our sauce and our food,\u201d Donna added.<\/p>\n

Nothing is frozen, the couple said. All meats and chicken are cut and prepared in the store\u2019s kitchen.<\/p>\n

The family has also dramatically increased their catering, supplying raved-about party trays and catering for graduations, bridal showers, First Communions, birthdays and all types of occasions.<\/p>\n

Loyal customers<\/p>\n

Travers Food Market has built a loyal following in the Delaware County area and beyond. People often stop in just to grab a cup of coffee and snack and talk about the day\u2019s happenings.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur store has a real neighborhood feel to it,\u201d Donna Travers said. \u201cYou don\u2019t get that same feel in large supermarkets.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a typical day at the store last week, longtime customer Denise Love of Drexel Hill stopped in and shared her thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people are nice here. They\u2019re always sweet,\u201d Love shared. \u201cThey have good food, and they have the best chicken salad in the world. I never had any better. It\u2019s to die for. And, I won\u2019t get my lunchmeat in any other store. They have quality meats and cheeses here and they slice it perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many customers purchase their freshly prepared meals to take home for the week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of older people and single people who come in for our prepared meals,\u201d Donna Travers said. \u201cSometimes they buy a week\u2019s worth of meals at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Travers with the display case of grab-and-go meals that are freshly prepared for customers each day. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES<\/p>\n

Despite being a small neighborhood market, the owners say they work hard to keep prices competitive with larger supermarkets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not out there to rip people off,\u201d David said. \u201cWe want to serve the public and make them happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

A workplace that feels like family<\/p>\n

The market currently employs eight people, many of whom have long histories with the business.<\/p>\n

One of them is Gina Herm, who has worked at Travers Food Market for more than 25 years.<\/p>\n

Herm grew up in the neighborhood and attended Penn Wood High School, often stopping by the store with friends.<\/p>\n

She eventually got a job there as a teenager and never left.<\/p>\n

\"TraversTravers Food Market owners David and Donna Travers with longtime employee Gina Herm of West Chester, who was a frequent customer of the store when she was a young girl living in Lansdowne. She has worked there for over 25 years. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Travers are like family to me here,\u201d Herm said. \u201cI grew up with some of the customers, who come in here. Now they bring in their own children. I\u2019m waiting on a second generation of customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her role varies day to day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI multitask,\u201d she said. \u201cWherever and however they need me, I go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Awards and recognition<\/p>\n

Travers Food Market has earned multiple local honors over the years.<\/p>\n

In 2025, readers of the\u00a0Delaware County Daily Times\u00a0voted it the best place in the area to play the lottery. The store has produced a $1-million winning ticket along with numerous other lottery winners.<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid and Donna Travers with the many signs posted after customers bought winning lottery tickets at Travers Food Market, including a million dollar lottery winner. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n

The deli has also won Best of Delco awards for Best Deli, Best Chicken Salad and Best Potato Salad.<\/p>\n

The store carries a variety of local favorites, including Dietz and Watson lunch meats, rolls and tomato pies from\u00a0Corropolese, Bernie\u2019s Pretzels,\u00a0Hershey\u2019s\u00a0ice cream and\u00a0Scaramuzza\u2019s Pasta.<\/p>\n

Many desserts are homemade in the store or supplied by neighborhood bakers. Just recently during the Easter season, Donna was swamped with orders for her homemade Easter Bread and Ricotta Pie.<\/p>\n

Another customer favorite is Donna\u2019s Jewish apple cake, which she prepares every Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t stay on the shelf,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Breakfast and holiday traditions<\/p>\n

Breakfast sandwiches made to order are another popular staple.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go through 30 pounds of bacon every single morning,\u201d David said. \u201cAnd dozens and dozens of eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the holidays, customers can also order fresh turkeys and the Travers will bring them back from Loag\u2019s Corner Turkey Farm in Elverson, at the northern tip of Chester County, a tradition that has become a seasonal favorite.<\/p>\n

A community gathering spot<\/p>\n

Over the years, the market has become a place where customers stop, not only for groceries, or to buy lottery tickets or a meal, but also for conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re kind of like \u2018Cheers\u2019 without the alcohol,\u201d Donna said with a laugh. \u201cWe know everyone\u2019s name, and if we don\u2019t, we\u2019ll get to know you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That community connection became especially clear during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were swamped,\u201d Donna recalled. \u201cPeople didn\u2019t want to go to big supermarkets. They wanted to come somewhere small where they could get in and out safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even customers who move away from the Lansdowne area often return.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people move away,\u201d David said, \u201cthey often come back to visit, because they miss us. We\u2019re a unique market in the neighborhood and they know we will make them anything that they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrating 40 years<\/p>\n

Travers Food Market will mark its 40th anniversary on May 22.<\/p>\n

Since they don\u2019t want their anniversary festivities to interfere with Memorial Day, the family will celebrate the 40th milestone, with a community celebration, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 6.<\/p>\n

The event will include food samples, vendor giveaways and prizes. Everyone in the community is invited to join the celebration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been very blessed,\u201d Donna said. \u201cThe community has always supported us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Travers Food Market<\/p>\n

\u2022 Travers Food Market is at 199 Shadeland Ave., Lansdowne.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u2022 For more information, call the Market at 610-626-6330 or email traversfoodmarket@yahoo.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LANSDOWNE \u2014 For four decades, Travers Food Market has been more than just a place to pick up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[212,27402,182,139,28,69,71,70,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-165473","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-delaware-county","9":"tag-lansdowne","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-philadelphia","14":"tag-philadelphia-headlines","15":"tag-philadelphia-news","16":"tag-top-stories-dtd"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}