Snuffys Steakhouse was founded by William Robertson in 1932. Robertson was local speakeasy proprietor who had operations all throughout the neighboring towns. With prohibition ending just a year later, Snuffys hit the ground running.
The resteraunt expanded in the late 1960s. The building was transformed from a glorified burger stand into a banquet hall. Several large new rooms were added, including the Crystal Room, Gaslight Room, and Fireplace Room.
Robertson ran the resteraunt until the early 1970s. After several decades of success, he decided to retire. Snuffys was sold to the Pantagis family the following year.
The Pantagis family rebuilt Snuffys in the late 1970s and into the 80's. They changed the rather humble banquet hall into a tacky, gaudy psuedo-palace. Every ceiling was adorned with mass produced stained glass and cheap embossed millwork. While impressive to the untrained eye, the building was really a poorly constructed clashy nightmare.
The Covid 19 pandemic had a major impact on every aspect of the wedding industry, and the Pantagis banquet hall was no exception. The family decided to abruptly close the business on October 20th, 2020. Covid 19 was cited as the main reason for the closure, but the business owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes as well.
After several years sitting empty, Scotch Plains approved plans to demolish the venue. Work started right at the beginning of 2024, and continued swiftly until the lot was clear. Lots of folks were upset that none of the stained glass or woodwork was saved, but I don't think they really understood how little value any of it had. A Lidl grocery store will soon be built on the lot, certainly more of a benefit to the town than the vacant building was. Snuffy's goes on to join Pals Cabin, The Circus, and the Chatterbox on the long list of iconic. NJ resteraunts replaced for generic retail.
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