Nan and Pop’s Kitchen, a new retro themed restaurant in Wildwood, hopes to bring families together through genuine conversation, home-made meals cooked from family recipes, and a heartfelt tribute to Wildwood’s past.
Christy and Jasen Mitchell dreamed up the restaurant during the height of the pandemic, when people were largely isolated from one another. “We wanted to give our community a big hug during that time, and we thought the best way to do that would be through a place that’s designed to bring people together.” Christy worries that pandemic isolation continues even as most people move past COVID; she wants to create an atmosphere where families can put down their phones and chat face-to-face over an inexpensive home-cooked meal.
The restaurant itself is deeply entrenched in Wildwood’s past. Most of the photos on the wall point to a Wildwood that once was. The photos serve as a reminder that Wildwood has always been a place that brings loved ones together. That was certainly the case for Christy and Jasen’s families, who met in the Wildwoods.
Jasen’s grandparents, lovingly called ‘Nan’ and ‘Pop,” owned one of the biggest stores on the boardwalk in the mid 20th century. That old store, once found on the boardwalk, was part ski-ball arena and part convenience store. The store burned to the ground in one of the largest fires in boardwalk history. Nan and Pop’s Kitchen was made in their memory and will bring guests back in time to the halcyon days of Wildwood’s past.
Her family continues to find success in Wildwood. Christy’s father-in-law was a cop in Wildwood for three decades, and her husband’s uncle was a Wildwood city commissioner. “This place was my way of paying back Wildwood for all that the city has done for our family,” she said.
Christy said that her family has been coming to Wildwood for a hundred years. She referred to an old picture hanging on the restaurant wall that shows her great grandparents walking on the boardwalk a hundred years ago; the photo shows them walking right by the spot where Nan and Pop’s now stands.
“It’s amazing how much Wildwood has done for our families. We are very blessed to have the story that we do, it’s awesome to see how intertwined our families are without us even knowing it at the time. And most of those conversations happen at the kitchen table,” Christy said.
The inside of the restaurant is heavily themed and evokes memories of sunny Americana days. Each seated booth takes on the appearance of a 50s-style dining room, complete with different accessories, wallpaper, and lamps. Each setting has a retro-themed television that plays retro hits, including the Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and the Andy Griffith Show.
Beyond the table settings, antiques are integrated into the restaurant’s layout. An old bike from 1890 hangs on the wall as if it were made yesterday, and old stove tops make standout accent pieces.
Prices are intentionally low at Nan and Pop’s. Christy said that this has been an incredibly challenge given the current economic challenges. “Not a single one of our dishes is more than $30,” Christy said. “With inflation and payroll and food costs, we want to make sure that the average family can come here and eat a good meal. Everybody deserves that.”
Visit Nan and Pop’s Kitchen on401 E Wildwood Ave, Wildwood.
Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
