Manny Aguiar of Hellertown stands next to the giant blue marlin inside Matey’s Crossroads Hotel in Hellertown. Aguiar was part of the fishing expedition that netted the record-setter in September 1980.
The scene Friday afternoon at Hellertown’s Crossroads Hotel–which will close in a little over a week after 63 years of ownership by the Matey family–was like something from a movie, as regular customers and native Hellertonians who long ago moved away returned to enjoy one last pizza, one last cheesesteak, one last ice cold beer or a hug with a favorite waitress.
Most were there simply to pay their respects to a culinary institution in the borough, and to soak up the atmosphere that has made Matey’s a favorite dining destination for generations.
At around 4 p.m., the phone inside the kitchen rang constantly–a waitress was overheard to say the kitchen staff were frantically working to fill 50 takeout orders at a time–and a line of customers waiting for tables stretched down the main hallway that connects the dining room to the front porch.
Among those who walked through the door Friday was a man with a rather close connection to the restaurant’s most famous piece of decor–the huge blue marlin mounted on its dining room wall.
A photo taken on Sept. 8, 1980 shows Manny Aguiar of Hellertown and other fishing trip members with the record-setting blue marlin that was later mounted and displayed in Matey’s Crossroads Hotel.
Manny Aguiar of Hellertown was a member of the fishing party that caught the huge fish off the coast of New Jersey in September 1980, and he reminisced about that trip while eating a cheesesteak and enjoying a birch beer.
Aguiar explained that a member of the fishing party was a relative of Crossroads owner Ray Matey, and contacted him after the 14-foot, 715-pound marlin was caught by George Prestosh on Sept. 8, 1980.
Matey offered to pay to mount the New Jersey state record-setting fish, which was then hung inside the restaurant, where it has been on display ever since.
Aguiar, who is retired, commented that the trip seems like a lifetime ago now.
A common question heard around the dining room concerned the fate of the fish, which will presumably be sold along with the other contents of the building.
Crossroads and its liquor license are currently listed for sale for $2 million.
A sign affixed to the front door of the restaurant read: “To all our loyal customers, thank you, it has been our pleasure serving you. Our last day will be Saturday, May 7th. We will be closing our doors to begin our retirement.”
By mid-afternoon Friday the dining room at Crossroads was already full, with a line nearly out the door. Meanwhile the phone was ringing off the hook as customers called in takeout order after takeout order.
A Channel 69 News van is parked outside Crossroads Hotel in Hellertown on Friday, April 29, 2016. The local news station broadcast live from the iconic restaurant, which will close May 7.
A sign announcing the imminent closure of Matey’s Crossroads Hotel hangs in the restaurant’s front door.
The record-setting blue marlin that was caught off the coast of New Jersey in the summer of 1980 was mounted, and has been a focal point inside Matey’s Crossroads Hotel in Hellertown for more than 35 years.
A plaque next to the mounted blue marlin inside Hellertowns Crossroads Hotel documents its history. The fish was caught in Hudson Canyon off the New Jersey coast on Sept. 8, 1980. Crew member Manny Aguiar recalled that the lucky fishing excursion had been rescheduled several times due to bad weather. George Prestosh reeled in the record-setter.
Documentation about the famed blue marlin hangs inside Crossroads Hotel in Hellertown. “What will happen to the fish?” was a question heard throughout the restaurant as visitors pondered its fate–and that of the restaurant.
The iconic sign outside Crossroads Hotel will soon be dark; at least until a new buyer for the property is found.
