CROTHERSVILLE
Homemade, cooked-to-order food is back in Crothersville.
Since reopening May 3 with a new owner, The Lunch Box is serving up smash burgers, tenderloin and chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders plain or tossed in sauce, hot dogs and chili dogs, Cobb salads, french fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, fried cheese balls, fried pickles, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes and more.
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Those who enjoyed the homemade food at Lucille’s Home Cookin’ and missed that since it closed in town will be excited to know that The Lunch Box is owned by the same person, Amy Schleter.
“After people found out that we were the same people opening this place, it was pretty easy just to use Facebook and post pictures,” she said. “They were just glad to have our food again.”
Anyone who stopped by The Lunch Box when it was open before will notice the freezers have been replaced by coolers. That’s because Schleter doesn’t serve any frozen food.
Because everything is made fresh, there may be a wait time, but it’s worth it, Schleter said.
“I just like the taste of it so much better and put more love into it because we care about food,” she said. “That’s what we do.”
Schleter said she had a good idea of what she was going to put on the menu and wanted to make the food similar to Lucille’s.
She recently started offering a daily special and posting a picture of it on The Lunch Box Facebook page.
“Later, we’ll add dipped ice cream, too, and there are all kinds of things we’re going to add,” she said. “You’ve got to do it slowly.”
Another change from the previous owners is The Lunch Box will now be open year-round. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
In the wintertime, Schleter said they will close a little earlier, and there will be warm dinner plates available to purchase, including meatloaf and turkey Manhattan.
“It’s a nice and good, warm meal, and it’s convenient for them to just drive up and you don’t have to get out,” she said.
Schleter has been in the food business for about 20 years. She said when she was 14, she started working at Town and Country Restaurant, which ironically became the location of Lucille’s in 2010.
After spending some time working in hotels making food, Schleter and Mario Barrientos opened Lucille’s at 108 W. Howard St.
The first night, she said family members helped wait tables and clean dishes while she and Mario cooked the food.
“We started to get real busy from the beginning, and then I started hiring people after that,” Schleter said.
Customers appreciated the homemade food and unique offerings she and Barrientos offered.
They started doing a lot of catering to area factories and the hospital in Seymour, which resulted in opening a second Lucille’s location along Shields Avenue near Seymour Country Club five years ago. The catering business was known as Lucille’s On the Go.
Schleter said that business picked up even more after the restaurant locations closed. They started having a food truck at a variety of local events.
“It’s really good because people who miss having the restaurant, they’ll come and find us,” she said. “We kind of have some followers, so they get to still try our food.”
The Lunch Box had closed about a year ago and been for sale. Schleter said she would pass by on her way to get on the interstate to drive to her job at an industry in Walesboro.
Since the season was approaching in April, Schleter decided it was time to buy the restaurant and reopen it.
“I called them, and we worked it out,” she said.
Schleter said she’s happy with the response from customers so far.
“They can have something close to home and they don’t have to drive out of town in order to get food,” she said. “We’re here in town. Come here and get some food, and it will be nice and fresh for you.”
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The Lunch Box is at 114 Marshall Drive, Crothersville.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, and there’s a drive-up window to pick up to-go orders.
For information, call 812-793-3456 or find the business on Facebook.
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