Nudy's Cafe turns local ingredients and family roots into nearly 50 years of success
RADNOR, Pa. (WPVI) -- In a region crowded with chain restaurants, a family-owned café that started with cheesesteaks and hoagies has grown into one of the Philadelphia suburbs' most enduring breakfast spots.
Nudy's Café, founded in 1979, began as a tiny Radnor storefront with limited seating and a menu built for takeout. Founder Ray Nudy spent his first 25 years behind the grill, cooking for customers himself as the business slowly took shape.
Today, that oncesmall café has expanded into 16 locations across the region, serving eggs, coffee and comfort food to generations of families.
Nudy says the secret to the café's longevity is simple: keep everything local.
For decades, the restaurant has sourced ingredients from Pennsylvania suppliers and farmers - a commitment he says has defined the brand.
"We pride over 30 years of suppliers that also operate out of Pennsylvania," Nudy said. "One of my food suppliers, Stanley Marvel, is a fourgeneration, 100yearold company. They supply me eggs and bacon from Lancaster County - we use close to 3 million eggs a year - and we get dairy from Lehigh Valley."
Produce is purchased locally whenever it's in season, and the café's coffee comes from a threegeneration roaster in West Chester, a partnership that has lasted more than 30 years.
The menu has grown with the business, offering omelets, pancakes, sandwiches and lunch items. The current top seller: the breakfast burrito, which staff says has remained a customer favorite since it was added a few years ago.
Nudy is a thirdgeneration entrepreneur - his grandfather ran a shoe repair shop, and his father owned pizza restaurants. His own business now employs 400 Pennsylvanians, both full and parttime.
Nearly five decades after opening his first café, Nudy says the most rewarding part is seeing families return with new generations.
"I really enjoy seeing families come in now that we've been so long," he said. "They're bringing their grandchildren in."
