The bar at Raub’s Restaurant began filling up on Saturday afternoon as the restaurant celebrated 100 years of being in business.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
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The outside of Raub’s Restaurant in Plymouth is shown on Saturday, the day on which the business’ 100th year of operation was celebrated.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
PLYMOUTH — In 1924, the Washington Senators won the World Series, the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in New York, and phrases like “giggle water” and “hotsy totsy” were in vogue.
And on Main Street in Plymouth, Raub’s Restaurant opened its doors.
In 2024, the restaurant and bar is still kicking. On Saturday, the restaurant celebrated its 100th anniversary with a number of special promotions.
The business was started by the husband-and-wife duo of Anna and George “Punk” Raub. Anna outlived her husband, and lived upstairs from the restaurant and bar until the end of her life. She also continued to work until her passing in 1995 at age 94.
Ownership at Raub’s changed hands a few times, passing through the family and business chain until it reached Stacey Spencer, the current owner. Spencer was hired by Anna Raub and Raub’s niece about 35 years ago.
Spencer became the owner two years ago, and has a good feel for the restaurant and bar’s history as it celebrates the century mark. Raub’s is an unmistakable institution in Plymouth.
“We’re a staple here, the oldest bar and restaurant still open [in Plymouth],” said Spencer.
While Raub’s might seem old school, that’s part of its charm. The infrastructure and interior of the building has remained broadly the same over the past 100 years. The homemade food, the name and the location have remained the same as well.
“We’re retro in here. It’s unique,” explained Spencer.
To celebrate the restaurant and bar’s 100th anniversary, Spencer has set up a number of promotions. On Saturday, they were offering $2 domestic draft beers in commemorative cups, T-shirts, coffee cups and liquor baskets. In an amusing, additional promotion, lobster was on the menu at a price of $19.24, a nod to the restaurant and bar’s founding.
A raffle was also in motion, with the proceeds going to a pair of Plymouth families impacted by house fires.
Looking ahead, Spencer is confident that Raub’s will remain a fixture of Plymouth’s Main Street.
“We don’t want to change the name, change the recipes, change the food,” affirmed Spencer. “We just want to keep it going the way it is and hopefully be here in another hundred years.”