George Zeppos

Restaurant Entrepreneur

More than three decades after he used to sneak treats from the candy dishes at his father’s restaurants, George Zeppos has found his sweet spot in Berks County. 

The owner-operator of The Hitching Post and Willoughby’s, he has masterfully infused tradition with a modern-day twist and successfully resurrected two of the area’s most nostalgic restaurants.

Zeppos is taking notes from his father, Alex, a beloved entrepreneur who retired 10 years ago after co-owning several popular restaurants in Berks and Lebanon counties, including the original Hitching Post, Schmeck’s Diner, Dairy Dutch Diner and Eat Well Diner. 

“I would go to visit the restaurants every day with my brothers and cousins,” George says, adding that once he was old enough, he began to wash dishes, take orders and cook meals. “It was our life. As a kid, I enjoyed working next to my family and next to my father. Now, he works next to me.” 

Zeppos earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ursinus College. He worked as a finance executive for 12 years, including a stint in Boston, where he met his wife, Eleny. Though joining the family business wasn’t initially part of his career plan, it was his lifelong dream, he says. 

“I admired my father and my family and how they worked,” he says. “I remember their passion for what they created, and I was always proud of that. I aspired to be like them. I enjoyed working in finance, but I missed the connection to the community.”

After he returned to Berks, he decided to re-open The Hitching Post in March 2011. The restaurant, located in Bern Township, now features Sunday brunch and an upscale lunch and dinner menu that include classy casual fare like salads, soups, steaks, pastas and Greek specialties. Last year, he also re-opened Willoughby’s in Wyomissing. The restaurant had been one of his favorite restaurants when he was a kid, he reveals.

“This is a phenomenal business. It’s rewarding in so many ways,” he says. The most important thing is your customers. They become like your family. Here, they’ve embraced us. It’s important to me to give back.”

Zeppos says he’s following his father’s recipe for success by being a team player, not cutting corners and never making excuses. “I have big shoes to fill, but I’m proud of the values he instilled,” he says.
“I learned from my father that you have to be all hands on deck and jump in where needed. To be the ultimate leader, you have to be there for everyone.”

While Zeppos knows he’s ultimately in charge of the restaurants, he jokingly concedes that his father is still the “boss.” The elder Zeppos stops by The Hitching Post daily and always asks, “What can I do?” 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell him what to do,” George Zeppos says, chuckling. “He helps out where needed. He’ll help wash dishes or assist the chef, and he loves to provide wisdom or share a story. It’s nice having him around.”

Same goes for Zeppos’ twin 5-year-old boys, who often visit the restaurants. “I love when they are here,” he says. “It’s like seeing another generation walk through the door.”

Ben Prout

Farmer

As a kid, Ben Prout bounced around his grandparents’ farm like a pinball. 

One minute, he was finishing field work. The next, he was picking fresh produce, readying foods for the farmer’s market or riding his tractor along the horizon. While he was paid $5 a week, he would’ve done his farm chores for free, he says.

“I loved it. I couldn’t wait to get to the farm. I just couldn’t spend enough time there,” he says, adding that the tractor was hands-down his favorite farm activity. “I would be in the farmland and wave to people driving by. They would wave back, and I would get an ego boost. It was fascinating. I felt important.” 

Today, Prout is a fifth-generation farmer. In 2005, he and his wife, Jillian, bought Jolleyview Farm in Oley Township. “I always thought farming was the greatest thing you can do. People always say how hard farming is, but you really are your own boss,” he says. “It’s what I always wanted to do.”

Initially, Prout’s grandparents wanted him to pursue academics because they felt their farm could not sustain an additional employee at the time.
“I was devastated,” he says. “They said I was too smart and should go to college. I wanted to work on the farm like my dad and his dad before that.”

Always dutiful, he heeded their instructions and enrolled at Penn State University. However, he returned to his roots after earning his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science in 1991 and worked on various farms throughout Berks and Montgomery counties.

At their 122-acre farm, the Prouts incorporate multiple enterprises to ensure success. They have 275 custom-raised dairy heifers, and they plant produce, such as strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers, among other vegetables. In addition, there are 30 acres of wheat, which is used to sell grain or as straw for bedding; 30 acres of soybeans; 15 acres of hay to bail for horses; and large plots of land for corn to feed the cattle. Visitors can pick strawberries, and when the weather warms, the Prouts host an annual Strawberry Festival in June.

Prout says he’s proud to show a new generation of farmers, including his two children, ages 13 and 15, the ropes. While they have phones, video games and a swimming pool on their property, they also love farm life, he says. “They help out in the barns with the cattle and with the produce stand in the summer,” he says.

Before heading back to the field, he took a second to collect his thoughts, before explaining why he’ll choose his tractor over an office chair any day.  

“My commute is right outside the front door,” he says. “I get to eat lunch and dinner with my family. I get to put my kids on the school bus in the morning and pick them up from the bus stop in the afternoon. I don’t consider what I do work. It’s just my life. I’m really happy. I don’t take fancy vacations or look for fancy toys. I just like looking out my front door and watching the sunrise. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It’s a dream come true for me.” 

Gerard Tyson

Teacher

Back on a cool November morning, Gerard Tyson watched his students fill the hallway outside of his second-floor classroom at Northwest Middle School, where he has taught since 1988.  

A videographer was ready to record the dance moves they had been practicing just minutes before, but as the intro beat to Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off dropped, the tweens froze. They stared at each other or at the floor, and an awkward silence swallowed the space.

Cue Mr. Tyson, as he’s called here. “C’mon guys. You can do this,” he shouted, his booming, encouraging voice echoing against the metal lockers. “You got this. Let’s go. Dance!” 

A gentle giant with a gift of gab, Tyson prompted one boy to break away from the semi-circle and take center stage. When filming wrapped, Mr. Tyson gave him an assuring head nod and a high-five. 

“I’m them. I’m just older,” he says. “I understand them. I understand their experience. I went to these schools. I grew up in these neighborhoods. This school is like my second home. I know everyone by name, and I want them to know I care about them.”

For Mr. Tyson, middle school is full of energy and adventure. Through his old-school teaching style, he’s built lasting connections with students that span decades. It’s a skill he learned from his father, Robert Tyson, who was a beloved health and physical education teacher in the Reading School District.

The elder Tyson, who passed away last year, was a stern disciplinarian. However, his warm smile often softened his tough exterior. He provided structure and demanded excellence, something students might not have liked at the time but learned to appreciate with age. Still, he was popular.

“He was respected, but he gave respect,” Tyson says. “He cared about young people. He wanted everybody to always be better, and he would stay on you because he wanted you to be the best. It’s nice when people tell me they remember my dad or that he was their favorite teacher. That’s a special feeling.”

Tyson’s favorite teacher was his middle school reading teacher, Linda McCormick. Between her teaching style and his dad’s influence, he knew he was destined for a career in education. “She cared, and she came to our sporting events,” says Tyson, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University. “She made a connection. She went that extra mile. I try to do that now.” 

Tyson, a former wrestling coach and basketball fan, is one of many RSD teachers who are following in their parents’ footsteps, he says. And they all love the same thing: watching students have a light bulb moment.  

“The kids have to take ownership. I have a high expectation, but they have to do the work,” says Tyson, who currently teaches science and recently earned a statewide teaching award for excellence. “My job is to teach you how to do it, how to think, how to process it. But they have to be accountable. The ‘I can’t’ attitude is not allowed.  I tell them, ‘You can do anything.’ I love to see their improvement and growth and maturity. When they say, ‘Oh, I got it’ or they think through something and figure it out, that’s beautiful to me. I enjoy watching their journey.”