Old neighborhood butcher is reborn at The Meat House

Posted by Rich Schwartzman on March 5, 2014

A casual stroll through the new Meat House on Route 202 can get the juices flowing, the salivary juices that is. There are the occasional tasting stations along with sights of fresh meats, seafood and poultry on display that evoke a mouthwatering response.

But the new market is more than just a place to buy meat. There’s also a produce section and an area to get prepackaged meals or have a sandwich made. How about a place to sit down for a cup of coffee?

For proprietor Scott Gagnon, The Meat House is an old idea that’s new again. With an emphasis on hospitality and a getting to know the customer attitude, it’s a modern day version of the old neighborhood butcher.

Gagnon even invoked a TV character to explain the concept of being the modern day mom and pop butcher shop.

“I use the example of Sam the butcher from The Brady Bunch. He was a secondary character, but they referred to him as Sam and he was their butcher. They knew him. He wasn’t just ‘a butcher.’ He was Sam. That’s our idea here. We want people to know Scott. We want them to know John. We want them to know Jamie. It’s not that we want them to know The Meat House,” he said.

According to Gagnon, the focus is always for people to come in and buy a meal, to schedule catering. It’s not necessarily a butcher store where you just buy meat. It’s for the dinner party, the christening. It’s about events and meals.

“Part of what differentiates our store is that, at its heart it’s not just a butcher shop. It’s about meals. It’s about food. We always have chefs in the kitchen cooking something. That’s what separates us from other butcher shops. We round out the whole plate,” he said.

The model for The Meat House centers around three things, Gagnon said: hospitality, quality products and local community.

“Hospitality is always the first,” he said, “because you can go to other places and find quality meats. You can go to other places and find prepared foods. But the hospitality that we try to bring, from welcoming everyone coming through the door to trying to have a positive friendly attitude, that makes it really fun to come here. If it’s fun, you’ll want to come back.”

The cuts of meat are top quality, many of which can’t be found in the average supermarket, Gagnon said.

There’s also a dedication to local businesses and organizations. The Meat House will be carrying pet treat products from Giggy Bites in Olde Ridge Village and will also be sponsoring or catering a Garnet Valley Lacrosse team tournament later this year.

But it starts with hospitality, from the greeting at the door to getting to know the customers individually, about learning what they like.

And while larger stores can offer a broader selection, Gagnon said The Meat House would have a better relationship with its customers.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the hospitality and relationships. If you come in and I know that you like rib eyes and if I know we have rib eyes that look great or are going to be put on special, we’re going to remember that’s what you like and we build those relationships,” he said. “There’s a trust level that gets established.”

There’s also a large variety of locally or regionally produced sauces, each with their own unique flavors and Gagnon seems to know where each one comes from, what’s in it and how each one differs from the others.

The Meat house also carries wild game such as venison and bison and Gagnon said he’s really up for a challenge.

“We love special orders and I’d love it for people to play stump the butcher. We have folks come in to pre-order goat, some form of octopus other than what we already have ready and we just sold out of alligator the other day,” he said.

And they’ve already had a request for a full side of beef.

“If people have a special request, something that’s hard to find or they can’t get someplace else, we want to be their go-to place.”

The store is open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Their phone number is 610-910-4030 and the shop’s Web presence is on Facebook at The Meat House Chadds Ford PA

There will be a “small gathering” type of grand opening event this Saturday, March 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live music and food samples.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.