30 Years Strong - Del Sol Cafe

Story by Amanda Larch

Del Sol Cantina and Grille has encompassed many evolutions during its 30 years in business, but the community has been there offering their full support every step of the way.

Opening in September 1994, Del Sol was originally a New York-inspired deli shop serving sandwiches, bagels and specialty coffees, according to owner Tony Juker. “It became a very popular place; it was a concept I felt was needed in Lewisburg,” Juker says. “It was unique, and it took off from the get-go.”

This initial concept did well for six years, but when he first opened Del Sol, Juker didn’t have a complete kitchen. “Basically it was just a deli case, slicer, cappuccino-espresso machine, and a half oven,” he says.

Through his contacts in the area, Juker recruited some chefs to help him cook, and he and his wife also prepared food at their home, staying up into the wee hours of the morning to bring it in fresh to the deli each morning.

“I quickly realized that just like any other business it takes a while to get yourself established,” Juker says. Though this allowed him to expand Del Sol’s original menu, today he readily admits it probably wouldn’t have flown with the health department. Juker’s hard work and dedication allowed the business to grow, and he expanded into catering, growing his reputation throughout Lewisburg.

“Eventually I started making a bit of money and started buying equipment; the next thing I know, I had a full kitchen and was doing all the cooking, and the deli itself became very successful,” he says. “But after six years, I always had the dream of owning a fine dining restaurant. I think for anyone in this industry, it’s something we all aspire to have: a full-size restaurant.”

At about this time, the restaurant building next door to Del Sol became available. Juker bought the property and opened a fine dining restaurant, which he ran for another 13 years. “As soon as I opened that restaurant, I decided to close Del Sol, which sat empty for three years, and I knew deep down in my heart that I wanted to redo the building and do something else with it,” Juker says. “It took me three years to get myself going with the other restaurant, and by the third year I said I need to do something with the building.”

Juker’s next vision was to open a martini bar—“Imagine that in Lewisburg, West Virginia, right?”—as he says at that time there were few places to go as far as nightlife. “There was one other bar in town and I thought there may be a market there, so I put a plan together,” he says.

When he opened the martini bar, Juker was still running the restaurant next door. Once the bar opened with its soft seating, alluring atmosphere and DJing each weekend, it quickly became a hot spot in town. “People loved it,” Juker says. This lasted for about five years before Juker then decided to close his restaurant and work the bar exclusively, which eventually became a headache, he admits.

“It became a nightclub, and you know what comes with nightclubs—a lot of fights and late nights—and I said to myself, I can’t live this lifestyle forever.” But traveling back and forth to Washington, D.C. to visit his son introduced Juker to choose- your-own, assembly line style restaurants, like Chipotle.

“I fell in love with the concept at Chipotle because it’s all fresh and they make everything in front of you,” he says. “I was there eating one day, and I was like, ‘This is what I could do with Del Sol. I could do south of the border cuisine, doing everything in the back of the kitchen.’”

Inspired by this new concept, Juker once more rebranded Del Sol. “The concept has again become very successful and not to say that we haven’t had any turbulence at times, but this business is very difficult,” he says. “To find restaurants that have been around for a long time, it’s very rare nowadays.”

With Juker continuing to improve his cooking skills, he was also able to diversify Del Sol’s menu to offer a little bit of everything in addition to south of the border flavors: pizza, burgers, Mediterranean food and more, as well as a full bar and specialty cocktails.

“We typically feature a very eclectic menu at Del Sol, so it brings a nice balance of clientele that they can find something for everybody,” he says. “We’ve got just about anything you can imagine but everything keeping with the idea that it’s fresh.”

Juker also renovated the outdoor patio space at Del Sol a few years ago, bringing in fresh flowers from Blue Ridge Farms to create a nice ambiance and an atmosphere as sunny as its name.

Keeping the patio beautifully decorated through the summer months has become as much a staple at Del Sol as its food. “That’s become one of our signatures, and people come out and take pictures and they love it, they love the flowers, sitting outside on the deck—it feels like you’re somewhere in London or Paris with all the flowers surrounding you, and it’s got a great feel for the summertime,” Juker says.

“Once again the business has grown into something that has become a staple in the community and people love it.”

One of Juker’s biggest challenges over the course of three decades has been the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of staffing as a result; he even considered putting the restaurant on the market three years ago, but was convinced by his family to change his mind.

“My kids said, ‘Dad, if you’re going to sell your business, you’re not going to be able to live the lifestyle that you have now,’” he recalls. “That resonated with me. They absolutely were right. It provides for me very well.”

Having lost a little lust for the business, Juker now says he feels back in love with it. “I’ve revived myself, and it makes me happy when people enjoy the facilities and our food,” he says.

“So we’re going to move forward, we’re going to probably do one more renovation in the near future to set us up for the next 10 years or so. I’m very proud that I’ve been here for 30 years; it’s a huge accomplishment when any business, not just a restaurant, has been around for that long that I feel that we must be doing something right.”

Looking back, Juker says the community of Lewisburg has always supported his business, no matter the name or atmosphere, and others who worked at or frequented the original Del Sol now come back with their kids.

“Patrons have been coming here for years,” he says. “We’ve become a family sort of speak. It’s pretty unique that the parents of the kids that worked for me now still come here.” As well as support, Juker has gained great friendships throughout Del Sol’s restaurant run. “My best friends are people that I got to know in the community through my business,” he says. “It feels like we grew together, and we’re very lucky to have that mutual admiration for each other as customers and business.”

Del Sol is an institution in Lewisburg, he says. “It’s been a great community relationship to the point where I can’t see this place not being here,” Juker says. “It’s an institution, it’s Del Sol, it’s Tony’s—some people call it Del Sol, some people say let’s go to Tony’s. It’s been a mutual love affair, and I’m very grateful for 30 years.”