Hilltop Cafe Set to Reopen This Weekend
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – As reported in The Messenger, the closure and sale of the Hilltop Cafe in Crockett was disappointing for those would came by for the early breakfast, home-style buffet, or enjoyed the long hours.
As of this Saturday at 6 a.m., the Hilltop will be brought back to life, complete with new owners and some new plans, while most of what people loved will feel very familiar and not be changing.
New owner Sacramento Ledesma and his family have put their last penny into buying the building, getting it cleaned and ready for business, all for the good of their kids and hopefully, grandkids.
Originally from Palestine, Ledesma owned a business in Crockett and had been thinking of a way to start a local business his family could inherit and take over, someday.
Ledesma spoke with the previous owners about their good and bad times owning the cafe, before eventually deciding to dive in and get the stoves heated again with the same style of food many had come to love.
“I was hoping to buy the place so my kids run it, as well. I already knew if it got sold, somebody was going to knock it down and turn it into a whole different thing,” Ledesma said. “I know how to cook myself. but I have a full time job in a healthcare company so my thought was to get my kids involved.”
While the whole family has been working hard on the relaunch, there will be plenty of familiar faces at the cafe, from the waitstaff to behind the kitchen.
“A few of the people who used to work there are coming back; basically all the waitresses that used to work there, and if everything works out, the cook’s coming back as well,” Ledesma said.
While the plan is to begin with the traditional breakfast and lunch, Ledesma plans to bring the old hours back, working from 6 a.m.-8p.m., like the previous owners.
“Everybody, and especially the working man at six o’clock in the morning, going to work, would love to stop somewhere to eat,” Ledesma noted. “In the big cities they have a lot of goof breakfast places and a few of the smaller towns have cafes, but now you can officially start the morning early with something good to eat.”
Facing a money crunch with all their spare cash going into working on the kitchen equipment and making sure there will plenty of fresh food for the reopening, Ledesma said he plans to open until 2 p.m. for the first month or so, before expanding the hours and establishing the traditional lunch and dinner buffet.
Hurt by some of the online comments about past issues at the cafe, Ledesma said the whole family has been working overtime to get the place spic and span before the weekend.
“We have had the place exterminated and checked, we have cleaned everywhere, all the floors and made sure it’s the best version of itself it can be,” Ledesma said. “We haven’t done anything to the decor – it’s a traditional place. When you come in, you should feel at home.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
