The Story of Uncle Will's

Thanks for taking the time to read about the history of UNCLE WILL’S! Norman and Anna Gerber owned the buildings on Bay Ave where Uncle Will’s currently resides, where they ran their dry goods store for many, many years. Beall's Market was originally in our location of 3 South Bay Avenue. After the devastation of the 1962 storm, John Beall, Sr. built the larger store on the corner (now Murphy's Marketplace).

The other store fronts were renovated and William (Bill) Schaefer established one of his Uncle Bill's Pancake Houses on the location. He also established one in Surf City. Stanley Kubiak soon bought and operated the pancake houses until February 1974 when the Beach Haven location was purchased by the Pulz family. The "B" was easily changed to a "W" so Uncle Will's it was! The introduction of the chubby ceramic pig, who made young and old alike smile as he joined their table, was the mascot. Based on the principal of serving the finest quality food in a family friendly atmosphere, the business flourished. Many pancakes later, in 1995, Gary and Joann Pulz sold the business in to Tom Stewart.

When Tom Stewart bought Uncle Will’s from the Pulz Family, he became the third “caretaker” of what is truly a landmark in Beach Haven. Tom met his future wife Margie in 1996 when she came to Beach Haven for a "part time" summer job. LOL. She was a teacher in Cherry Hill at the time.

Tom and Margie owned and operated Uncle Will’s until June of 2024, when they passed the torch to Shaun and Mark Cohen, whose names might be familiar to the the local crowd, as they were the Original owners of The Chicken or the Egg, another of Beach Haven’s landmark restaurants. Mark and Shaun are thrilled to be just the fourth “caretakers” of this legendary breakfast and lunch restaurant. Rest assured, they haven’t lost sight of what made Uncle Will’s THE BREAKFAST SPOT! The fluffy pancakes, the farm fresh eggs, the creative dishes, and of course UNCLE WILL! The famous pig still makes his rounds every day, putting smiles on the faces of children and adults alike.

And we’d be remiss not to mention the amazing staff. Uncle Will’s would not be Uncle Will’s without the hard work and big smiles of its crew. Believe it or not, we still have some staff that have worked for three out of the four owners! Thank you to the best staff in the business!

And Uncle Will’s enters its 60th season, we must thank YOU- our incredible guests- - - - all of whom we lovingly consider our family. Thank you for every every meal you enjoy with us. Till Soon!