Decades later, Pat's Snack Bar still feels like home

The buzz of conversation fills the dining room as regulars pull up wooden chairs, sip their coffee, and unwrap Tuesday morning breakfast. The smell of fried bologna, bacon, and livermush drifts from behind the counter, and along the walls, old Corvette signs, photos, and decades of memorabilia add even more character to a place that has barely changed with time.

Welcome to Pat’s Snack Bar. One of Burke County’s oldest, continually operating restaurants, it is open three days a week, Monday through Wednesday, and it’s still cash only. In an era of online ordering and tap-to-pay, the old-school approach is part of the restaurant’s charm and comfort.

For many, Pat’s is more than just a restaurant. It’s where business deals are made, friendships are formed, and sometimes, even life partners are found. The spot on North Sterling Street has become woven into the personal stories of countless people in the community.

It’s a classic that keeps people coming back for fried bologna sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and a warm smile from Lawson Callahan, his daughter Lori Hawkins, and nephew Jared Callahan. For some, a visit to Pat’s might come once a year during a trip back home. For others, it’s three days a week.

The restaurant’s roots stretch back decades, beginning with a family already seasoned in the restaurant business. Long before Pat’s opened, Callahan’s grandparents operated restaurants nearly around the clock in Avery County’s Spruce Pine and Crossnore.

In the mid-1950s, that restaurant expertise expanded to Morganton. Callahan’s family operated Callahan’s Restaurant, Twin Circle Grill, and Riverside Fish Camp, among others. Altogether, Callahan said the family has operated about eight restaurants throughout the region over the years.

Pat’s has been in its current location at 124 N. Sterling St. for 50 years as of last Sunday, Callahan said. He added that the family has been on the same block of North Green Street since the mid-1960s, with his father Pat Callahan first opening a spot where Smokefoot Trade & Loan is now. Callahan worked with his father there before they opened their current location.

Originally, Pat’s shared the building with Jim Billings’ Army Navy Store, he said. When Billings retired, Pat’s expanded into the space. For the last 25 years, the restaurant has also shared the building with Dessert First, a bakery operated by Lila Buchanan, who has formed her own customer base over the years.

Other than that, the look of the spot hasn’t changed much over the years, he said, and the business remains a community fixture.

“A lot of deals are done here,” Callahan said. “Even marriages have come out of here.”

Today, Pat’s remains a family affair. Callahan’s work with Lori and Jared continues a tradition that has carried the business through challenging times, including economic downturns and the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant was closed for 26 months during the pandemic, Callahan said, but was able to bounce back.

Despite being open only three days a week and cash-only, Pat’s has remained steady.

“Being in the business so long gives you a little edge,” Callahan said.

Many customers have been coming for decades. Some families now span multiple generations, with grandparents bringing children and grandchildren through the same doors they’ve entered for years.

“I’m on my probably fifth generation of customers,” Callahan said. “We know their history. My customers are my family.”

Among those customers is Claude Huffman, a retired Morganton firefighter and Vietnam veteran, who finds comfort in coming to Pat’s on the regular. Huffman said he sees Callahan as family.

“We talk about old times,” he said.

Now 84, Huffman has known Callahan’s family since he was about 14 years old, when he worked for Pat Callahan at Twin Circle Grill. He remembers the old bus that Pat Callahan used to drive around town, serving hot dogs, hamburgers, and BBQ. While there are many restaurants on wheels now, it was a rare sight at the time.

“I guess he was the first one,” Huffman said with a laugh.

Huffman pointed out several regulars Tuesday morning, adding that it’s the atmosphere and connections that keep people coming back.

“I just think it’s a great atmosphere,” Huffman said. “Great people work here.”

For Cathy and Dick Mauney, visits to Pat’s happen at least once a month. Cathy retired from running machinery at Leviton, and Dick retired from the City of Morganton’s Water Resources Department.

They come for the breakfast sandwiches and stay for the sense of community.

“They make you feel like you’re at home,” Cathy said.

It’s that kind of trust, familiarity, and tradition that has kept Pat’s Snack Bar a staple in Morganton for generations, and why, decades later, the small restaurant on North Sterling Street still feels like home.