Category:Walps, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Walp's Restaurant and Guest House was located at the northeast corner of Union Boulevard (Old U.S. Rt 22) and Airport Road in east Allentown, PA.

It was established in October 1936 by Robert and Blanche Walp at North Fenwick Street and Union Boulevard (657 Union Boulevard) as a coffee counter with stools, a few booths, a small kitchen and a jukebox. The original restaurant also had two Amaco gasoline pumps out front and a bunkhouse in the back for tired truckers. The baking (shoofly pie, a specialty) was done by Mrs. Walp, the business end was handled by Mr. Walp, and daughter Thelma Walp Barnes coordinated the customer service.

In December 1940, the business was physically moved to its Airport Road location on a tractor-trailer. The Walp's Guest House was originally an old barn that came with the new property in 1940. It was converted into a rooming house for tourists and also truckers to stay at. It remained open until 1998 when it, and the restaurant were closed.

The family continued to build the business and operate it under son Donald Walp and daughter Thelma Walp Barnes. After World War II, son Donald Walp returned to Allentown after U.S. Navy service in the Pacific Theater and became a partner in his family's business. The business prospered, especially after World War II, when Allentonians would take the family for an auto drive into the country and always made a point of stopping at Walp's for lunch or dinner. A tradition was soon born. In 1956, Frank Nikischer, Sr., a brother-in-law of Donald Walp joined the management team at Walp's

Originally a small diner, it was expanded in 1960 because of its popularity, to a much larger 500-seat modern restaurant on its 1 1/2 acre plot. Over the decades it welcomed thousands for family dinners in the restaurant, and celebrations of birthdays and anniversaries, toasting newlyweds at wedding receptions, high school reunions, and other special occasions in their spacious banquet rooms. Many local and national celebrities dined at this popular restaurant.

For more than 50 years, devotees of bootvashenkel, pork and sauerkraut, lettuce with hot bacon dressing and other Pennsylvania German food, as well as diners in search of hearty American dishes went to Walps for a meal.

After the death of Blanche and Robert Walp and the retirements of Donald Walp nd Thelma Walp Barnes, Walp's Restaurant was sold to Frank Nikischer, Sr and his wife Judith in January 1986. One of the terms of the sale was to keep the recopies true to Blanche Walp's originals.

On November 29, 1998 Walp's Restaurant closed. The property was sold to the Rite Aid Drug Company. After 62 years of serving the Lehigh Valley, the time had come to pass another Lehigh Valley landmark into the annals of history.

It was hoped that the Walps rooming house would stay open and become a showplace for the many antiques that were formerly inside the restaurant. However, that was not to be the case and all of the restaurants contents, including the many antiques were sold off at auction.

After closure, the former restaurant sat vacant for several years as Rite-Aid decided not to expand into the Allentown area. It instead sold the property to a developer. In June 2002, the former restaurant and guest house was purchased by Wawa who tore down the former restaurant and replaced it with a 5,000 square foot, 24-hour store and gasoline superpumper station.