'Quite a milestone': Morris' Tavern and Restaurant turns 50
Jun. 4—SIDMAN, Pa. — On June 1, 1973, Terry Morris, then just a young man of 23 years old, purchased a building that had been home to several hospitality establishments since the 1930s and renamed it Morris' Tavern and Restaurant.
He passed away in 1997.
But now, 50 years later, the business Morris established still remains, serving as a popular gathering place for folks from the Sidman and St. Michael communities, with its thin-crust pizza, wildlife décor and close connection to Forest Hills High School, which is located right across the street.
"I think it's quite a milestone," said his wife, Kimberly Morris Golias. "It's been kind of difficult at times, but we've always had a really good staff of people. Over the years, we've had many family members that have worked here, come and gone, a lot of people who have been friends, family.
"We've had a lot of good people over the years that we were able to depend on. And I credit them, as much as anything, with our success because they've always been very caring, helpful, hard-working people."
Morris Golias expressed thanks to her current husband, Ken Golias, for helping operate the business and to patrons who have supported the tavern over the years, saying, "We do feel like most of these people are our friends and our neighbors."
"They still come, and now their kids come and their grandkids come. ... It's kind of the center in this community, the school right here, and we've been a big benefactor of that," she said. "We always support them in every way."
Her daughter, Kelly Morris Dreher, said they truly appreciated that connection during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic that negatively affected bars and restaurants across the world.
"When there was takeout only, everybody tried to think up a new way to reinvent how to make takeout as exciting as it was to come in and sit down in a restaurant," Morris Dreher said. "We tried some new specials. We put some old things on special. It was just getting the word out and being able to have people share all of that.
"Really, that's when we saw how much support we really had and how far-reaching that support was."
The restaurant is well-known for its pizza, which has been recognized in The Tribune-Democrat's annual Simply the Best survey and the Laurel Highlands Best Pizza Contest.
"We have an excellent hand-rolled pizza crust recipe. ... It was what we built this business around," Morris Golias said. "And, to this day, it's probably still our best-selling item. It's always a favorite."
Morris' is also home to displays of animals harvested by Terry Morris, his friends and relatives, including a bison, alligators and rams.
"The inspiration was the (display) cases like this that were in the Smithsonian," Morris Golias said. "They had these in the Smithsonian and we had taken our kids down to see them. He kind of decided that would be something to try."
