LISBON, Ohio – Pondi’s Restaurant & Bar, a family-owned business since 1914, served its first burger in 1916.

Recently updated with the addition of Pondi’s Market, the business is poised to continue for another century.

Matt and Jessica Borza, owners for the past 26 years, and their new partner, Treg Stevens, recently expanded the dining area, updated the air conditioning, created a handicapped accessible entrance and modernized the bathrooms and the kitchens for the restaurant and the market.

Yet, Pondi’s remains true to its past. At the request of longtime patrons, the bar wasn’t renovated. Historic pictures hanging on the walls tell the history of Pondi’s and Lisbon.

Bottles found during the renovation were evidence of the gin made in the bathtub of the upstairs apartment of Annie Pondi, a Romanian immigrant, many decades ago. A pair of her shoes have a place of honor in the wall where the contractor found them.

“That was a tradition back in the day to put shoes in a wall to keep evil spirits away,” Matt Borza says.

The roots of Pondi’s are important to Borza.

Jessica Borza notes Pondi’s is a tradition for many local families and their celebrations. While ribeye steaks and fish remain on the menu, Matt Borza and Steves, the chef for 15 years, have introduced new dishes. “We do some very creative dishes nowadays… we have very talented chefs,” Matt Borza says. “We turn them loose on some of the seafood specials and stuff on the weekends. They can show it off and do the pretty presentations.”

Opening in 2021, the market allows quick pick-up of carry-out orders and the purchase of fresh cut meats and seafood to cook at home.

Employing 88 people, Pondi’s offers health care and profit-sharing benefits. Matt Borza says they are very conscious of work-life balance.

“In the food service industry, turnover is our biggest problem,” Borza says. “We try to eliminate that because turnover costs a lot of money.”

Pictured at top: Treg Stevens and Matt Borza operate the 109-year-old Pondi’s Restaurant & Bar in Lisbon, as well as the newer Pondi’s Market.