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Coitsville landmark closes its doors Dec. 31
By Sean Barron
COITSVILLE
Susan Fette recalled the rather unconventional reaction of her mother, Barbara Svetlak, to a customer who one day complained about her eggs having been overdone.
“She put raw eggs, a raw slice of bacon and a slice of Italian bread on [the customer’s] plate and gave it to her,” Fette said with laughter. “She’s a pistol.”
Svetlak’s humorous response to the customer she knew was one of many fond memories Svetlak shared regarding running Barb’s Cozy Corner Family Restaurant, 3671 McCartney Road (U.S. Route 422), which is to close Wednesday, nearly 25 years to the day since its Jan. 1, 1990, opening.
About three years ago, the 70-year-old Svetlak, of New Bedford, Pa., was diagnosed with cancer, for which she receives quarterly CT scans. She doesn’t want to quit, but the illness has made it too difficult for her to continue, Svetlak explained.
Restaurant work is nothing new to the 1962 Hubbard High School graduate, who wasted no time finding work after having received her diploma.
“My dad told me, ‘When you get home, I want you to get a job.’ Two days later, I was working at Isaly’s,” she recalled, referring to the former eatery in Hubbard. “I knew the woman at Isaly’s and she told her boss about me, and I got a good recommendation.”
After about 18 months there, Svetlak spent many years raising her two daughters and one son. In 1986, her restaurant work resumed when she was hired as a cook at the former Pat’s Place on Route 422 in Coitsville.
Nearly four years later, and shortly after having bought out Pat Jewell, Pat’s Place’s owner, Svetlak opened the 75-seat, family-friendly Barb’s Cozy Corner, she noted.
It didn’t take long for Svetlak to establish a regular customer base, including five generations of one family who started patronizing the restaurant soon after its debut.
In addition to receiving home-cooked and reasonably priced meals, some regulars have acquired nicknames such as “Papa” and “Mr. Ed,” she continued.
“They were like extra grandpas,” Svetlak added.
That level of consistence also ran through her workforce, which included five Campbell High School girls who in 1990 arrived in their prom gowns. They worked about eight years for Svetlak, who often helped them with their schoolwork, she said.
In addition, her three children have worked at the restaurant. That family tradition continues with Fette’s two daughters, Grace Fette, 12, and Rose Fette, 15, both of whom assist their grandmother during the busy weekend rushes.
Susan Fette, of New Bedford, called Svetlak’s decision to close “bittersweet,” saying that it will be a loss for many, including customers who have befriended her mother during her tenure. On the other hand, Susan is happy to see that Svetlak will take more time for herself, she explained.
“I began working off and on since it opened, and it’s fun to see how things have progressed over the years,” Susan added. “The business has evolved, and she learned through trial and error. She had to find her niche.”
For her part, Svetlak plans to spend part of her retirement catching up with her reading, spending more time knitting and crocheting and seeing more of her grandchildren, she said.
“I told them after my retirement that I’m going to be a pain in their butt,” she added with a chuckle.