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ROARING BRANCH — Family is very important to Shawna Lee and her husband, Johnny, who are owners of Midway Truck Stop in Roaring Branch.
The couple bought the restaurant from her parents in March 2018, a third-generation owned family business.
According to the history Lee provided, the Midway Truck Stop was named because of its location, halfway between Williamsport and Elmira. It was built by Marvin and Hanna Tebo in 1948. Originally, they only sold gas and diesel until the restaurant was finished.
Lee handed me information that was previously published in an earlier edition of the Canton Independent Sentinel, of which, states the history of Midway Truck Stop.
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In 1956, Bill Snyder and Thad Woodard bought the Midway from the Tebos and eventually, Snyder bought out Woodard’s share. Snyder lived in the top portion of the building and operated Midway until March of 1991.
“There wasn’t a person Bill wouldn’t help in anyway if he could. He always had something to talk about to people whether it was car racing of any sort, or hunting or bowling. Bill and Dorothy always made sure there was good food at reasonable prices for the working person to enjoy.”
They eventually sold the Midway in April 1991 to Randy and Karen Gibson and Mike and Sherry VanHorn as a partnership.
Fast forward time 27 years, and the Lees own the restaurant today. A priority of customer services that the Lees have is to make sure that anyone who comes into the restaurant feels like family.
Though it isn’t an
official “truck stop,” with showers, truckers still love to stop and get a nice meal before continuing their travels. The customers Lee sees are mostly regulars, who, she says knows them on a first name basis. In return, she almost knows what they are going to order every time they step through the front door.
“We treat our customers like family. We can probably write their order down before they even get in their seat,” she said. “It’s someplace you can come and be cared for.”
She said even though dine-in isn’t available, they still check up on their elderly regular customers to make sure they are OK.
“I’m all about family with not only my own family, but my business as well. My customers are also like my family,” she said.
COVID-19 may have slowed down the eat-in dining area, but Lee says they still get regulars that come in and get “to go” items that they can call ahead and pre-order, as well as a stocked cooler with many options from desserts to pasta and egg salad, hard boiled eggs and more.
“Going out to eat is a social thing for our customers,” said Lee, “They like to come here and see friends and get out of the house.” Lee hopes that dine-in will resume shortly and with Bradford and Tioga Counties going into “Green Phase,” that possibility is looking brighter.
There’s a certain table in the restaurant that Lee says is “filled with locals all the time.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re family or not, you can sit at this table,” said Lee, who describes her regular customers as “warm and welcoming.”
Lee still stays positive for the future and thanks her loyal customers who still come to get take out.
“We will get through this. We’ve been here for so long,” she said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Shawna and Johnny have two daughters, 6, and 4 and like to spend time with them in their spare time.
With Tioga and Bradford counties going to green phase, The Midway plans for reopen with its regular operating hours of Monday through Saturday 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
Shawna posts the daily specials every day on Midway’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Midway-Truck-Stop-1497015603911720. Orders can be called through at 570-673-4328, or you can stop in at 1827 Route 14 in Roaring Branch, about 10 miles south of Canton.