Peter Poulos didn’t hesitate for one second when asked the obvious question. The answer came faster than a speeding bullet – or in this case, the strike of a match.

“Absolutely not, not for one second,” Poulos said when asked if he considered not rebuilding Karl’s Cabin after a fire destroyed most of the restaurant in 2023. “My parents (Karl and Sophia Poulos) discovered this cabin in 1981 and fell in love with its unique log timber design. They opened Karl's Family Restaurant in November 1982. We had no intention of just walking away. This is more than a restaurant to me and my brother.”

Peter’s brother Louis Poulos remembers doing a little bit of everything and anything to help out his parents.

“My earliest memories in the restaurant consist of working with my parents in the kitchen,” Louis said. “Washing dishes, sorting silverware, putting stock away, breaking down boxes, putting down toast for my dad Karl when we used to serve breakfast, and slowly learning the cooking trade from him and my mom, Sophia.”

Karl’s Cabin had a rich history long before the Poulos boys would come in for free burgers. How many places in the area have hosted one of America’s greatest musical legends?

On August 26, 1956, the cabin, known then as Rusceak’s Rustic Tavern, welcomed Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Two to its stage for a matinee show on a Sunday afternoon. The setlist included “Cry, Cry, Cry,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “I Walk the Line.”

Rusceak’s Rustic Tavern survived for 22 years and during the 1960s gained notoriety as being biker friendly with a somewhat outlaw feel. In 1969, the cabin was sold and became Hefner’s Hideaway, a biker bar complete with pool tables, live music and plenty of other “extracurricular” activities. The cabin then was briefly The Stock Yard, a fine dining steak house, and then sat empty for about four years before Karl Poulos discovered it.

“It was a struggle in the early days to get people out here,” Peter said. “But my dad loved the rustic feel and log-cabin charm the building had. He had been in the restaurant business for 40 years and when he had a chance to buy the property, he went all in. He always felt it was going to change out here.”

Karl passed away about 10 years ago but Sophia is still very much around and pops in every day to check on the boys and the space she helped create.

“My mom was the person who kept the place together,” Peter said. “Dad was in the kitchen and she was out front. She was the face of the restaurant. She did everything. This was and still is very much a family restaurant and we are very happy that she is still part of it.”

Peter, Louis and Sophia faced their biggest challenge on February 15, 2023, when a fire broke out at the backside of the restaurant right in the middle of a Wednesday dinner rush. The fire, which started at the employee smoking station, was bolstered by high winds and quickly spread across the rear of the building, resulting in severe damage.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” Peter said. “Chief James Rachwal and the Salem Township Fire Department rushed to the scene, along with 14 other first-responder departments to battle the inferno for over four hours.”

They say you find out who your real friends are in the face of adversity. The Poulos family soon discovered that they had a lot of friends.

“We held a team meeting with our employees and sadly advised them we were going to be closed for an unplanned remodel and let our loyal customers and the community know the same,” Peter said. “The overwhelming outpouring of support began to roll in. Friends from all over the world reached out. Our amazing staff showed up and immediately started helping us with the rebuild. The entire community’s outpouring of love and support during our closure motivated us to want to open as quickly as possible.”

On December 1, 2023, Karl’s Cabin reopened the doors to an excited and hungry public.

“It was a miracle we were able to open up in nine months,” Peter said. “There are a lot of amazing people to thank for that. I'm especially grateful to our management team consisting of Phyllis, Leslie, Vince, Pro and Bethany. They were an integral part in keeping our team together.”

The new Karl’s Cabin isn’t much different than the pre-fire version – at least for the customers.

“Our top goal with the new version was to not change the old version,” Peter said. “There are some subtle differences out front. We made some changes in the Lodge, which is our big banquet room. It has more of a log cabin feel to it now. And we did some major changes in the back, including doubling the size of our kitchen and adding more storage.”

The customers have quickly returned. It’s the vibe, service and, of course, the great food that has kept this cabin “rocking” since 1982.

“What makes our food unique/special is that we make almost everything from scratch and use the best local, yet most economical ingredients, to create comfort food that is very high quality and affordable,” said Louis, who runs the kitchen. “We get creative, we have fun and we change our menu monthly at a minimum, creating comfort dishes for all seasons and all palates.”

Karl’s kitchen crew is run by the co-Chef de Cuisine duo Vince Tinio and Profira Iascurschi, who put love into the food and set the example for what is expected by their culinary team.

“Professionalism, positive attitude, work ethic, teamwork and consistency are all very important,” Louis said. “We take pride in what we do and are extremely proud of our team, who execute day in and day out to provide the high-quality meals put in front of our guests thousands of times a week.

“Ultimately, it is our culture and the people who work at Karl’s Cabin that make the food and experience of coming to Karl’s Cabin unique and special, and we are grateful for them all.”