Miller’s Smorgasbord, a first-of-its kind restaurant in Lancaster County, has been serving patrons with homemade Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired foods for nearly 100 years. I was invited by Tom Neely, CEO of Thomas Strauss Hospitality Group and Dan Strauss, managing partner of Miller’s, to visit the restaurant and learn more about the history and operations of the restaurant.
The Miller’s complex that we see today looks very different from the version Enos and Anna Miller created when they first started the business in 1929. What was once a simple truck repair shop turned restaurant has grown into a collection of retail stores including a bakery, a quilt shop, and a gift store, as well as a hotel that sits just around the corner.
The story of Miller’s started with Enos, who was a mechanic and owned a truck repair shop in the location where the restaurant complex currently stands. While truckers were waiting for their vehicles to be fixed, his wife Anna would serve them homecooked meals. Over time, the food business became so successful that it eventually expanded into the truck repair shop’s space.
“Anna Miller fed hungry truckers because a lot of places you would get food during the Great Depression fell away and folded left and right,” Dan Strauss said. “You ate where you could and she fed them farm to table. One of the easiest rocket fuels for this as an eatery was chicken and waffles because everything was accessible within walking distance of the restaurant. So, she could get everything either delivered or picked up.”
In 1945, Enos and Anna sold the restaurant to Dan’s parents, Beatrice and Thomas Strauss. The restaurant has been in the family ever since.
“My father came home from WWII and met my mother who worked here. They decided to buy the place, and they ran it just as it was. There wasn’t enough money to make big changes,” Dan said.
However, that shifted in 1956. Dan told us the story of how Miller’s adopted the smorgasbord concept.
“A bus group came in and at the time, the menu offered two eggs any style. Someone ordered one poached and one over easy. At that point my dad checked out; he was so frustrated he left the restaurant,” he laughed. “When he came back, he said from now on, it’s going to be a smorgasbord. We’ll just put the food out and if they like what they see, they can take it. If not, they can pass.”
An Iconic Restaurant Preserving History
After Dan finished sharing the history of the restaurant with us, I asked Tom Neely what it’s like to be involved in a family business with strong roots in the community.
He said, “Miller’s Smorgasbord is such an iconic part of Lancaster County and being the first smorgasbord is such a huge achievement. The Strauss family, when they bought the restaurant from the Millers, it didn’t take long (for them to make the change). They said, ‘you know, the smorgasbord opportunity seems really great’ and they developed some pretty cool things.”
Tom has been CEO of the hospitality group for the last five years and works alongside Dan to make sure Miller’s continues to operate successfully. His experience in the hospitality industry has helped him manage all aspects of Miller’s. Tom is proud to be part of a family-owned business and strives to maintain the legacy of the restaurant and surrounding businesses.
“Restaurants are built on and live on their reputation. We have guests that come back year after year, or week after week, because we deliver consistency. They always know they’re going to get the same quality and level of service.”
He highlighted the different types of food they serve, such as the seven sweets and seven sours buffet bar, the soups and salads, homemade desserts and of course, the chicken and waffles that started it all.
Since Miller’s is surrounded by farmland and local businesses, I asked Tom how local agriculture has influenced the business.
“Over the years, we’ve worked with a lot of farms in the area to bring fresh produce farm to table – truly farm to table,” he said. “As we’ve gotten bigger, it’s a little harder for the farmers to keep up with our volume today, but over the years it’s been purely farm to table.”
He continued, “But, what that has done is kept us a scratch made restaurant. We serve nearly 300,000 guests a year and all the food in this restaurant is scratch made. We’re not buying pre-made foods.”
Keeping The Business In The Family
Dan grew up in the family business. He remembers working in the restaurant as a child alongside his siblings and parents and is extremely proud of the legacy they have built. He is determined to keep Miller’s operating for future generations.
“It’s a passion that runs in the family,” Dan said. “One of the main reasons that businesses die is because the next generation has no interest or has gone down their own path. Up until recently, our agreements showed that if you passed on, your estate had to be bought out. Now, we have engineered a new partnership agreement where it can be passed down to the next generation.”
Dan shared that he is already preparing his son and grandchildren – the third and fourth generations – to take over.
Tom agreed that having a strong family connection is important to the success of the business. He shared, “It’s really special and I love the fact that they understand the community and the people here because that’s who we are. To be able to work with folks that are staples in the community and are so deeply connected to it has made a huge difference for this business.”
“The Strauss family has done a phenomenal job. They started by buying Miller’s but they then added some.”
Advice For The Next Generation
As our visit was ending, I asked both Tom and Dan to share their best pieces of advice and best financial literacy tips.
Tom said, “There are so many educational opportunities today in the community, but I would suggest getting some experience in a restaurant because our business is truly based on experiential nature. You need to understand it from the inside out. There’s the National Restaurant Association, Prostart, and culinary programs in Lancaster—those programs will give you practical knowledge.”
Tom continued to say that getting experience, working and financial literacy all go hand-in-hand.
“It’s really important to work. Get a job that makes sense for you and figure out your way. You don’t need to learn everything; you need to be willing to start at the beginning. Too many young people today think that they can start in a six-figure job, but that’s really not correct. So, start where you start and you’ll get there.”
Select the image to view clips from their conversation via YouTube.
Dan agreed, then expanded by saying, “You get money when you work. My father always said if a man had half his wishes he’d double his troubles. So, keeping that in mind I would say on your first paycheck, pay yourself first. Take 10%, 20%, whatever it is that you are comfortable with or can manage and set it aside because you should always have that money to be able to own a business, buy a car, get married, buy a house. So financially, the key thing is to pay yourself first.”
I’d like to thank Dan and Tom for sharing the history of Miller’s with me, giving me a tour of the restaurant and surrounding buildings, and explaining how to build a successful brand. If you’re in Lancaster for the day or just passing through, I highly recommend checking out all that Miller’s has to offer!
By: Tim DeFoor, Pennsylvania Auditor General
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Watch video clips from General DeFoor’s conversation with Tom and Dan on the Department’s official YouTube channel.