Walter Me Lone, served either as a cocktail or a mocktail
Growing up, Jessica Dawson, née O’Donnell, would marvel at her idol – her grandfather, “Poppy” Carl LeFever – at his Franconia Township auto garage bearing his surname that he opened back in the 1950s as he continuously placed customer over self.
“He was more worried about taking care of the customer than making all the money,” Dawson, 44, said, who met her husband, Shane, 52, a Snap-On franchisee, at LeFever’s Garage. “He wanted to make sure the community was taken care of. He was very generous and he was there when anyone needed it. They always seemed to come back.”
Then, the owner of the new Poppy’s Tavern in Hatfield Borough, formerly Hattricks Sports Bar & Grill, paused briefly to reflect on one piece of advice he bestowed upon her.
“Don’t be so dumb,” she said, laughing.
At first, Dawson assumed it would be more risky than dumb to purchase the historic one-acre Hatfield Hotel building and property at 64 E. Lincoln Ave. from former owner Bob Weimar, 57, for the $1.3 million asking price announced last August, which included the liquor license.
Now, two months in, the Franconia residents have discovered she is putting that LeFever business acumen to work, continuing on with a restaurant and bar for the North Penn community, in hopes that people keep coming back to the revamped and renovated location that has a renewed reputation.
Poppy’s Tavern will hold a grand opening weekend event starting Friday night at 7, featuring music from The Keystone Breakers from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. An outdoor dance party with DJ Hill follows on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with $3.50 Hoop Teas.
Dawson said she was enticed to purchasing and opening a revamped bar and restaurant by Lansdale Tavern owner Julie Palermo, a friend she has had since ninth grade who ended up a co-worker at the former North Penn Convalescent Center, now Harborview Rehab & Care Center.
In February, Palermo and she agreed it was a good idea, even if Dawson was scared.
“She said, ‘Just do it, I’ll help you and I got your back.’ So, we started looking at our finances. We basically scraped together every penny we had to make it happen,” Dawson said. “Bob (Weimar) was very helpful in the transaction as well. He’s been great as far as any questions or problems that have arisen. He’s been right there with us helping us through.”
By July 5, the Dawsons were the new owners and renovating and cleaning began.
“We knocked some walls down, put up fresh paint, and we’re hoping to have the floor done by Friday. There was a hole in it, in the front, and we are waiting for the concrete to cure so we can put new flooring over that,” Dawson said. “We also had murals painted (by Sasha, an airbrush artist in Doylestown) of the old Hatfield Speedway, of our logo (designed by Gary Hite of California), and then a heart when you walk in the door.”
The sale came with a lot, per Weimar: a liquor license, all equipment, a new outdoor patio, and a 1,500-square-foot heated entertainment building with seven 10-foot roll-up garage doors. Weimar, Dawson said, continues to rent the former car-wash-turned-storage rental units at the rear of the lot. Weimar had ran Hattrick’s and owned the property for 17 years.
The property itself was once the Hatfield Hotel. It became Butera’s Restaurant in 1972 and continued to be a popular eatery and car wash for two decades. The Butera family sold it to DAW Hatfield Inc., owned by Warminster’s Debbie’s Place owners Deborah and William Feichthaler, for $470,000 in October 2000, per land records, who then opened DeBill’s.
Poppy’s Tavern also brings a new menu, with an Asian flair, but the usual burgers and cheesesteaks, and an updated, modernized beer selection – like Free Will Brewing, Fiddlehead Brewing, Dogfish Head Brewery, and Konig Ludwig. The tavern will have 18 rotating taps inside and six taps outside on its full pet-friendly outside bar. Takeout beer is also available.
Turkey Avocado BLT
Chef David’s Drunken Clams
Poppy's Tavern/Facebook There is also the aforementioned event space, which has been rented out recently for baby showers and parties.
Poppy’s Tavern also offers off-site and corporate catering services.
“Right now, we are doing a lot with Free Will Brewing. On Sept. 21, we are having an Oktoberfest, and we will do a German tap takeover with authentic German food. It is in conjunction with the Hatfield Car Show,” Dawson said. “We have a completely new staff.”
Homemade wonton shrimp cups
Mississippi Mud cake
Watermelon & feta salad tossed in a signature Poppy-seed dressing.One major change to the bar – renewed reputation.
Dawson has been vigilant on zero tolerance for drugs and riffraff at her establishment. She said she has personally ejected a few customers already. Poppy’s Tavern does not allow vaping or smoking indoors and is coming up with a plan for outdoor smoking areas, as Dawson does not want to inundate her customers eating at the bar with cigarette smoke.
“We are trying to make it a more family-friendly atmosphere; leave your drugs at home,” she said. “We are planning on running a kid’s movie night out in the event space. We also switched it so we have a family dining room versus pool tables everywhere.”
In fact, Poppy’s Tavern already has some regulars.
“In the past couple of weeks, a group of church ladies come in for lunch every Tuesday. They are the sweetest,” Dawson said. “Her name is Mel, and she is the Didden’s Greenhouse matriarch, and they come in after their prayer group. They have a blast.”
Dawson said Poppy’s is becoming a place to have a decent meal and form friendships with neighbrors.
“We have been seeing a lot of new faces, which is great,” she said. “Our number one seller has been the Kelce’s Garage Beer. I think people are embracing the football season coming up.”
Every day, like anyone running a business, Dawson finds something new to overcome, be it a new leak in the basement or a structural repair.
“The good has far outweighed the bad,” she said. “I’m on day 58 of being there open to close, and I still look forward to going.”
Planter boxes outside the new Poppy's Tavern in Hatfield Borough.
Next Friday’s grand opening is almost here and these guys are so excited to be at Poppy’s
This Saturday, Poppy’s Tavern features music from DJ Hill and Sunday there is a screening of “The Legend of Crick Foot” at 6 p.m.
Every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. is cornhole at a $15 entry. There is also a 24-25 Lansdale Amusement Company Dart League Cricket & Combo tournament on Sept. 28.
Poppy’s is open Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visit them on Facebook and contact them at 215-393-8540.
