Gus's

"The focal point probably was Gus's Hot Dog Shop on the corner of New and Packer."

-Mr. James Ruhf, former resident of Verona Street

Gus’s was known for providing a good meal, and good coffee, to the Packer avenue neighborhood, as well as Lehigh students and faculty. Originally located on the corner of New Street and Packer Avenue, Gus’s started out as a grocery store and snack shop, frequented by hungry Lehigh student’s and neighborhood residents. Surviving an expansion redevelopment in 1958 by the University, Gus’s moved to a new location at 474 Verona Street, where it would stand until Lehigh’s Packer Avenue urban renewal project in 1966. On Verona Street Gus’s business, and menu expanded, providing a go-to dining location for many living in the surrounding neighborhood. To many, Gus’s luncheonette was more commonly known as Gus’s hot-dogs. Residents remember Lehigh students spending many an afternoon playing pinball within its walls, tired professors stopping in for a coffee break, and of course hungry kids buying hot-dogs, ice-cream, and other snacks. Gus and his wife Ginny were themselves residents of the neighborhood, living on New Street. Where Gus’ once was, Maginnes Hall and STEPS now stand.