Married Couples To Open Breakfast Spot In Lehigh Valley

The Lotus Restaurant Group, the partnership behind Edge in Bethlehem and Surv in Forks Township, is preparing to open Sunny Side Up! at Park Plaza, co-owner Karen Widrick told Daily Voice. 

The new joint, to be located just steps away from Surv on Sullivan Trail, will offer breakfast fare with an aim to please everyone from the "classic diner" enthusiast to the "New American foodie," Karen says. 

It's the third venture for Lotus, a business partnership of career culinary professionals including Karen, her husband Tim Widrick, and their friends, Spencer and Carissa Cobb. The couples worked together at Edge in Bethlehem's Center City before taking the plunge about four years ago and buying the restaurant themselves, Karen said. 

After finding success in the Christmas City, Lotus opened Surv in late 2020 in Easton's Park Plaza, its first "from-scratch" endeavor, Karen explained. The team was working hard to launch by May but was forced to scrap those plans due to the pandemic. 

For a brief moment, the Lotus group even operated a "pop-up" version of Surv in the plaza. "We were doing paper plates for a little while," Karen laughs. 

Now, three years later and with pandemic-era restrictions behind them, the team is readying for its next venture. 

But unlike its sister restaurants, Sunny Side Up! will have a special focus on the most important meal of the day, she continued. 

That means guests can expect to pick from familiar favorites — "think sunny side up eggs, home fries, and toast," Karen says — or from one of chef Tim's original menu creations, like his new Belgian waffle recipe or sweet potato pancakes. 

Sunny Side Up! will also make its pastries in-house, and plans to offer gluten- and dairy-free options for diners with dietary restrictions, Karen adds. 

The couples don't yet have a clear timeline for opening, as they are still waiting for the licensing process to conclude. But the site at 1800 Sullivan Trail is ready to go, Karen says. Hours of operation are also still being hammered out, but the Lotus team expects Sunny Side Up! to be open from Tuesday to Sunday, at least initially. 

Still, it's a far cry from paper plates in the parking lot, Karen notes. 

"We've come a long way."

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