Famous New Jersey restaurant to be sold after 75 years

Maybe its secret has always been the breathtaking views of the Kittatinny Ridge. Maybe it’s the great food in such a remote location. Maybe it’s those antler chandeliers.

Whatever magic is part of its formula, the Walpack Inn has been a staple in Sussex County for 75 years. The Heigis family opened the restaurant in 1949. The war was behind us. Harry Truman was president. James Heigis was just a kid in elementary school when his parents opened the place.

He was 12 when the family moved from Rutherford. His grandparents were farmers, but his mother was known as an excellent cook and his father worked as a bartender. It seemed like destiny to open the place.

Of course, he eventually took it over at age 23 after training to be a restaurant manager. He and his wife Lee still run it today. They live in a modest home on the same 37-acre property. The Walpack Inn is something people travel to get to. After all, the town of Walpack has a population of just nine. Even in 1970, it had a population of just 384, according to nj.com.

If you want to lure people to such a remote place, you have to be on guard. You’ve been on guard for nearly a century.

Now, at the age of 86, Heigis wants to sell. This was announced on Facebook a few days ago.

There is no set timeline. It hasn’t even been officially listed yet. But if the restaurant on National Park Service Road 615 finds a buyer, the fate of the Walpack Inn isn’t really known. Whether it will continue as a restaurant remains to be seen.

Until then, you have time to explore this hidden gem in New Jersey. The business is open three days a week.

The Walpack Inn is open for dinner on Fridays from 5pm to 8pm and Saturdays from 4pm to 8pm. Brunch and dinner are available on Sundays from 11am to 6pm.

The opinions expressed in the above post are solely those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski.

Report correction 👈